YuGiOh! Duel Monsters GX: Duel Academia Legends
by The Azure Guardian
Summary: Along with Yuki Judai, Marufuji Sho and Misawa Daichi, another new duelist with a squad of assassins enters the infamous Duel Academia! Can he make a passing grade? Rated M for suggestive themes. canceled
1. New Duelists In The Hall

**A/N: Hey everyone, AzureKite4 here with another new story! Now first of all, I got the idea to do this story from a friend of mine who goes by the name The Duelist Of Dawn on this site, so there might be some similarities. Second, The Duelist Of Dawn has his story being rewritten from the English Version of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX while I'm going to be rewritting the Japanese Version (just because I like the Japanese character names and never really liked the 4Kids dubbing). Though I am rewriting the Japanese version of GX, I will be using the English name of the cards (mostly because on the yugioh wikia, they don't give out the Romaji spelling of most of the cards) with the exception of a few just because their Japanese names sound better.**

**Also, I am doing this fanfic with the help of subbed episodes of GX provided by GymLeaderLance99 on YouTube, so credit to him for providing the subs I need. Now without further ado, let's get on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise or its characters. I do, however, own Kenji Yuuyami.**

* * *

**Turn 1: New Duelists In The Hall**

Domino City. Home to some of the world's greatest duelists, including: Kaiba Seto, CEO of the gaming conglomerate Kaiba Corporation, Katsuya Jonouchi, a duelists who relies mostly on luck and has plenty of it on his side, and the Duel King himself, Mutou Yugi. Although currently, 10 years after the Battle City Tournament, a new event for school students is taking place in Domino City. The event: entrance into the highly popular Duel Academia.

A young man dressed in black pants, black shoes, a black sleeve-less shirt under a black open jacket and wearing a black headband was running through a crowd of people towards a large dorm owned by a gaming company called Kaiba Corp. The young man's hair was also black and spiked forward at an upward angle. Around his waist was a pouch with multiple pockets on the left side and a cardholder on his right side. Slung over his shoulders was a black travel bag and strapped to his back was a second edition Kaiba Crop. Duel Disk of the ones used ten years ago. Running up a hill, the young man stopped at a nearby park and walked over to a pond, looking into the reflective waters. In his reflection, the young man had pale skin and his eyes were definitely unique, being the very rare color of silver.

"Perfect. Now to get to the Kaiba Dome," the young man said to himself before running off towards the building again.

It didn't take very long for him to reach his destination and outside the front doors was a short line-up of other teens checking in at a desk where three people were sitting with papers in front of them, one man was wearing a suit and glasses while the other two were girls wearing a white uniform lined with yellow. The young man got in line and he heard the people in front of him being asked for their name and what their number was. Eventually it was the young man's turn.

"Your name and number?" the name in the suit asked.

"Number 27, Yuuyami Kenji," the young man answered.

The two girls looked over the papers until the one on the left looked over at the man in the suit and nodded.

"Go in," the man in the suit said.

The young man, Kenji, smirked to himself and walked through the doors of the Kaiba Dome. The inside was like a stadium, seats circling around an arena. But in the arena were six rings separated by tall steel walls. Luckily, as soon as Kenji walked in, his name was called over the PA.

"Examinee Number 27: Yuuyami Kenji-_kun_," a females voice announced over the PA.

"Looks like I got here just in time," Kenji said to himself as he walked down the stairs to a gathering room.

Upon reaching the room, Kenji and five others were directed to platforms that lifted them to their proper dueling field. Kenji just had a quick look around before locking his attention to his opponent, a Dueling Proctor wearing a purple uniform and black shades with slick hair.

"I will be your opponent for this entrance duel. If you cannot beat me then you will not be granted entrance and must try again next year," the proctor stated.

"Then I guess I'd better give it my all," Kenji said as he pulled his left arm out of his jacket sleeve, resting his elbow in the socket and flexing his arm before attaching his Duel Disk to his arm.

Kenji saw his examiner do the same and both duelists reach for their decks, but Kenji had an idea in his head.

"Hey, sensei!" Kenji called out.

"Yes, what is it?" the proctor asked as he shuffled his deck.

"Can we make this an 8000 duel?" Kenji asked, shuffling his deck as well.

"Sorry, but examination duels are all 4000," the examiner answered as he threw his deck into his Duel Disk.

"Oh well, worth a try," Kenji muttered to himself as he pushed his deck into his disk.

"DUEL!" both duelists shouted.

Examiner: 4000

Kenji: 4000

"I hope you don't mind if I go first, sensei," Kenji said as he drew his starting had of five cards.

"If you wish," the proctor answered, drawing his five cards.

"Then I draw!" Kenji shouted, pulling his sixth card, and selected another card in his hand. "I summon _Ninja Commander Ikusa_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a ninja wearing green armor and a green helmet appeared on the field. (700/700)

"And now for his effect! As long as _Ikusa_ is in Attack mode, I can Special Summon one _Ninja Soldier Katana_ to the field from my hand or Deck!" Kenji announced as he pulled out his deck, searched through it, grabbed the card and shuffled his deck. "And I'll play him in Defense mode!"

As Kenji placed the card down, a ninja garbed in dark clothes with a katana on his back appeared, but crouched down defensively. (400/400)

"Turn end!" Kenji said.

Kenji's Hand: 5

"Ninjas? How foolish to use such weak monsters. My turn, draw!" the examiner called out as he drew his top card. "I summon _Sand Moth_ in Attack Mode!"

As the proctor slammed his card onto his disk, a large brown monster with spikes on its back and lower legs appeared, sand falling from its body. (1000/2000)

"Since I won't do any damage by destroying your _Soldier_, I'll have _Sand Moth_ attack your _Commander_! Sand Storm!" the proctor shouted.

The _Sand Moth_ leaned back before shooting its head forward, launching a burst of sand from its mouth at _Ninja Commander Ikusa_, drowning him in sand and destroying him.

Proctor: 4000

Kenji: 3700

"I'll then set one reverse card," the proctor stated as a facedown card appeared behind _Sand Moth_. "Turn end."

Proctor's Hand: 4

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said, pulling his next card. "I summon _Ninja Uchiha_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a boy in his early teens appeared wearing white shorts, blue shoes, a blue t-shirt and had raven-black hair with a headband around his forehead. (1700/1200)

"_Ninja Uchiha_, attack _Sand Moth_! Flame Stream!" Kenji announced as _Ninja Uchiha_ started a string of handsigns.

Once the handsigns stopped, _Ninja Uchiha_ brought his hands to his mouth, just below his lips as he took a deep breath of air before exhaling a stream of fire. As _Sand Moth_ was hit and engulfed by the flames, it slowly turned to glass before shattering to pieces.

Proctor: 3300

Kenji: 3700

"Then I'll set three reverse cards," Kenji said, placing three cards into his disk. " Turn end!"

Kenji's Hand: 2

"My turn. Draw!" the examiner said. "At this time I'll activate my reverse card. _Reckless Greed_!"

As the facedown card rose, it showed a thief inching towards a box full of jewels, but didn't seem to notice the chains attached to the wood flooring under the box.

"With this card I can draw two more cards, but must skip my next two Draw Phases," the proctor stated as he pulled two more cards. "Now I'll remove the _Sand Moth_ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon _Gigantes_ to the field!"

As the examiner played his card, a large red ogre with chest armor made of rock and a horn on his forehead appeared, carrying a log in his left hand. (1900/1300)

"And since I haven't Normal Summoned yet, I summon _Moai Interceptor Cannons_ in Attack Mode!" the proctor said, playing his next card.

Rising from the ground two spaces from _Gigantes_, a large stone head that looked a lot like the Easter Island Heads appeared. (1100/2000)

"_Gigantes_, destroy his _Uchiha_ monster!" the proctor ordered.

The red ogre roared and charged at _Ninja Uchiha_. Once it was close enough, _Gigantes_ swung it log and crushed the ninja.

Proctor: 3300

Kenji: 3500

"Next my _Moai Interceptor Cannons_ will obliterate your _Ninja Soldier_!" the proctor declared.

The Easter Island Head monster slowly opened its mouth. Inside, a yellow orb slowly started to form until it was suddenly released as a beam of energy at the Defense Position _Ninja Soldier Katana_.

"Reverse card open!" Kenji shouted, pressing a button on his Duel Disk, revealing a Trap Card with the image of a tree-like monster wearing ninja clothing and taking two kunai to the chest area while the real ninja ran off. "Continuous Trap Card: _Ninjitsu Art Of Decoy_! By selecting one _Ninja_ monster on my field, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle as long as this Trap Card remains on the field! I choose my only monster, _Ninja Soldier Katana_!"

As the attack from the _Moai Interceptor Cannons_ struck, _Ninja Soldier Katana_ disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear in the exact same spot.

"Then I'll end my turn there," the proctor stated.

Proctor's Hand: 5

"My turn then. Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his next card. "I summon my second _Ninja Soldier Katana_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a copy of the ninja he already had on the field appeared, but had its arms folded. (400/400)

"And I'll set one reverse card!" Kenji said as he pushed another card onto the field, causing another facedown card to appear behind and to the right of the standing _Ninja Soldier_. "Turn end!"

Kenji's Hand: 1

"Due to the effect of my _Reckless Greed_ Trap Card, I can't draw this turn. But that won't matter. I release my _Moai Interceptor Cannons_!" the proctor called out as the Easter Island Head slowly vanished. "To summon my _Hieracosphinx_ in Attack mode!"

The new monster that appeared had a body like a lion, but had the head of an eagle and even had wings on its back. (2400/1200) But the duel proctor eyed the three reverse cards Kenji had on the field.

'_I'm sure one of those cards can destroy my monster. And I won't lose my _Hieracosphinx _to a Trap Card,_' the proctor thought to himself. "I attack your new _Ninja Soldier_ with _Gigantes_!"

As the red ogre charged at the ninja, Kenji only smirked.

"You fell right into my trap!" Kenji declared.

"What?!" the proctor asked in shock.

"A ninja tricks his opponents into making faulty attacks. I wanted you to attack with _Gigantes_ so I could activate this! Reverse card open!" Kenji shouted while pressing a button on his duel disk, causing the newer card of his to slowly rise, showing a three-pronged weapon attached to a chain. "Trap Card: _Kunai With Chain_! When you declared your attack, it allowed me to activate it! Now not only does it increase my _Ninja Soldier Katana_'s ATK points by 500, but it switches your _Gigantes_ to Defense mode!"

The weapon appeared in the hands of the Attack Position _Ninja Soldier_ as he threw it, tying up _Gigantes_ and making the ogre kneel down. (400-900/400)

"I still have one monster left to attack with! _Hieracosphinx_, destroy that ninja!" the proctor shouted.

"Again you fell into my trap!" Kenji said, causing the proctor to gasp as the winged monster leapt at the _Ninja Soldier Katana_ and Kenji pressed another button on his Duel Disk. "Reverse card open! Trap Card: _Reinforcements_!"

The card rose, revealing an army of knights about to charge forward.

"Heh. So your monster gains another 500 ATK points, it's still not enough to beat my monster," the proctor said, chuckling to himself.

"Who said it was for _my_ monster?" Kenji asked. "My target for this trap is your _Hieracosphinx_!"

The trap card started to glow as _Hieracosphinx_ surged with power. (2400-2900/1200)

"You've just done more harm to yourself!" the proctor shouted as his monster destroyed the ninja, causing the _Kunai With Chain_ Trap card to be destroyed in the process.

Proctor: 3300

Kenji: 1500

"A few Life Points is a small price to pay. Especially when I activate this! Reverse card open!" Kenji shouted, pressing yet another button on his Duel Disk as the last facedown card he had rose, revealing a trap card with a test tube being held by a machine with electricity strikes it. "Trap Card: _Damage Condenser_! When I take damage to my Life Points, I can Special Summon one monster from my Deck to my field with ATK points equal to or lower than the damage I received!"

Kenji pulled out his Deck and searched through it. Upon finding the card of his choice, he pulled it into his hand, shuffled his Deck and put it back into its slot.

"And I choose my _Ninja Ayane_!" Kenji announced as he played his card.

From the card emerged a female ninja with purple hair tied back by a blue cloth. She wore a kimono with a mix of pink and purple with a design of a bonsai tree on the lower half. She also wore a pair of purple gloves that stopped halfway up her upper arm. (2000/1500)

"And when _Ninja Ayane_ is summoned, I can bring back one Spell or Trap card from my Graveyard to my hand!" Kenji announced as his Graveyard slot spit out a card and Kenji added it to his hand. "And I choose my _Kunai With Chain_!"

'_Is he planning on powering up his new ninja with that trap when I attack with _Hieracosphinx_ next turn? That must be it. Well, at least I already have what I need,_' the proctor thought to himself. "During my Main Phase 2, I release my _Hieracosphinx_!"

"What? But you already did a Normal Summon this turn!" Kenji argued.

"This is a Special Summon," the proctor said with a grin as he slammed his card onto the field horizontally. "Arise, _Exxod, Master Of The Guard_ in Defense mode!"

At the call of its name, a giant gold monster slowly rose from the ground. In appearance it shared a remarkable resemblance to _Exodia The Forbidden One_, but it had a large golden wheel-like object attached to its back. (0/4000)

"Whoa. Now that's big," Kenji muttered to himself as he stared at the giant monster.

"This is one of very few monsters with a large amount of DEF points. In all retrospect, _Exxod_ is an impenetrable fortress on his own," Kenji's duel proctor stated with a grin. "Turn end."

Proctor's Hand: 3

Kenji's Hand: 2

"We'll see about that. My turn! Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his next card, but stared at it with a grin. '_Perfect. This'll bring his defenses down._

Kenji then pushed his new card into a slot on his Duel Disk.

"I activate a Spell Card! _Art Of The Raging Mountain God_!" Kenji announced as the card appeared, showing _Ninja Ayane_ glowing purple with a purple wave being thrown in a circle around her, pushing back opposing monsters.

"This card can only be activated if I have _Ninja Ayane_ on the field and only during my Main Phase 1. It allows me to destroy all face-up monsters on the field except for _Ayane_ herself!" Kenji announced.

Kenji's examiner just gasped as _Ninja Ayane_ began a string of handsigns. When she finished, a wave of purple energy was released around her, striking _Gigantes_, _Exxod_ and _Ninja Soldier Katana_, destroyed them in an instant.

'_Now I'm left wide open!_' the duel proctor yelled in his mind.

"However," Kenji started, earning the proctor's attention. "The Spell Card does have a drawback. When I activate it I can't enter my next two Battle Phases. So I'll end this turn by setting one reverse card."

Kenji pushed his card into one of the slots, showing a facedown card to signify his turn had ended.

Kenji's Hand: 1

"My turn! And on my next turn, the effect of my _Reckless Greed_ trap will end and allow me to draw again. So this turn I'll set one monster in Defense!" the proctor said as he placed his card, a facedown card appearing on the field horizontally. "Turn end!"

Proctor's Hand: 2

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his next card and smirked. "I activate a Spell Card from my hand! _Shadow Clone_!"

As Kenji played his card, the image showed a _Ninja Soldier Katana_ standing straight and performing a handsign as his shadow slowly rose up beside him.

"This card allows me to select one monster on my field with _Ninja_ in its card name and Special Summon another _Ninja_ monster from my hand or Deck whose level is equal to or lower than my selected monster! And with _Ninja Ayane_ on the field, I can choose a Level 5 or lower _Ninja_ monster!" Kenji declared, once again pulling out his Deck, searching through it, grabbing his choice card, shuffling his Deck and putting it back. "And I chose my _Ninja Kasumi_!"

As Kenji played the card onto his disk, the field surrounded in sakura petals that blew all over the place. Two spaces over from where _Ayane_ stood, a red-haired female ninja appeared wearing a blue kimono, her eyes matching her hair as she held a katana in her hand. (2000/1500)

"When _Ninja Kasumi_ is summoned to the field, I can add one Level 4 or lower _Ninja_ monster from my Deck to my hand!" Kenji said, again going through his Deck, finding his card, shuffling and putting his Deck back. "And I choose my _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_!"

Kenji showed his card to the proctor, to avoid being suspected of cheating. The image was indeed of a dog of the Shikoku Inu breed. His fur was of mixed shades of brown with his tail slightly curled up. If anything, _Kurojaki_ resembled an Alaskan Husky with brown fur. _Kurojaki_ also seemed to have some kind of headband around his head.

"And now I'll summon him to the field! _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_!" Kenji said as he played the card, his _Ninja Dog_ jumping out of his picture and upon closer inspection, _Kurojaki_'s headband had his name written in kanji on it. (300/300)

"You send a weak mutt to fight along with your other two monsters?" the proctor questioned.

"Don't call any of my monsters weak! And _Kurojaki_ has a little effect of his own! For every monster on my side of the field, except himself, _Kurojaki_ gains 500 ATK points! Not only that, but he can't become an attack target as long as I have at least one other _Ninja_ monster on my field!" Kenji explained as _Kurojaki_'s ATK rose. (300-1300/300) "And once I start my next turn I'll be free to attack you! Turn end!"

Kenji's Hand: 1

"My turn. Draw!" the proctor announced as he pulled his next card. "I activate a Spell Card from my hand! Field Spell: _Canyon_!"

As the dueling proctor played his card, the field slowly changed to a rocky terrain with high rock walls surrounding the duelists and their monsters.

"With this Field Spell in play, if you take any damage from attacking my Defense Position Rock-type monsters, you receive double damage!" the proctor announced as he eyed his own facedown monster. '_And if you attack my monster with that dog of yours, your damage will double again!_'

Kenji's examiner imagined how it would turn out. On Kenji's next turn he'd be able to attack again and would use his _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_ to attack. But with only 1300 ATK points, he'd be attacking the proctor's facedown _Stone Statue Of The Aztecs_ with 2000 DEF points. Kenji would take the initial 700 damage, but by the effect of the _Stone Statue_, Kenji would actually take 1400 damage. And with the Field Spell _Canyon_ in play, it would increase Kenji's damage to 2800, more than enough to end the duel.

"Turn end," the proctor said.

Proctor's Hand: 2

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said as he drew his next card and looked at it. "Looks like this duel's over, sensei!"

"Over? What are you talking about?" the examiner questioned.

"You'll see. I play a Spell Card! Equip Spell: _Fuhma Shuriken_!" As Kenji played his card, the Spell Card showed a _Strike Ninja_ monster throwing shuriken with unknown kanji written on them. "I'll equip this card to _Ninja Ayane_, increasing her ATK points by 700!"

The proctor's eyes widened in shock, his imagined victory shattered as Kenji's monster grew stronger while a shuriken appeared in the kunoichi's hand. (2000-2700/1500)

"_Ninja Ayane_! Attack his monster!" Kenji declared as the purple-haired kunoichi jumped into the air and threw the shuriken, striking the proctor's monster and destroying the _Stone Statue Of The Aztecs_. "Now I'll have _Ninja Kasumi_ and _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_ finish this! Go!"

Both _Kasumi_ and _Kurojaki_ charged ahead at the examiner. Once close enough, _Ninja Kasumi_ thrust her katana into the proctor's chest as _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_ leapt over the kunoichi and smashed his head into the proctor's.

Proctor: 0

Kenji: 1500 (winner)

As _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_ landed on the field again, the field reverted to normal as Kenji's cards vanished. The Ninja duelist wiped his brow.

"Phew. You had me going there, sensei!" Kenji called over to his examiner, who didn't even seem phased from the previous attack.

"Congratulations, examinee. You may return to the stands and watch the rest of the duels," the proctor said.

"Thank you very much," Kenji said with a bow before the platform he was on was lowered.

Once Kenji returned to the gathering room, he was directed back to the spectator seats and found an empty seat near the top row. He took the spot and sat down, deciding to get a little shut-eye, but not before hearing what some of the spectators were saying about his duel.

"Hey, that guy with the Ninja deck is pretty good," one person said.

"Yeah right. That deck-type is based on pulling the cards you need from the deck. He pulled every monster he needed," said another spectator.

Kenji just ignored them and closed his eyes to take a little nap until the exams were over. However, it didn't last as long as he expected when he heard someone being loud near where he was sitting.

"Oh! They're at it! They're at it!" an excited voice said, causing Kenji to wake up.

The Ninja duelist looked over and saw a boy with dark brown hair styled back and a lighter shade of brown at the top of his hair. He wore a black open jacket with a red shirt underneath and was standing next to a short blue-haired boy wearing glasses. Kenji wondered what the boy was talking about and so looked down at the arena to see only one duel. He couldn't really see who the duelists were, but he could see on one field was a _Vorse Raider_ (1900/1200) and one reverse card while on the other field were a _Big Shield Guardna_ (100/2600) and a _Gear Golem The Moving Fortress_ (800/2200) both in Defense mode. The person controlling the _Vorse Raider_ had 3200 Life Points left while his opponent, another exam proctor, had 1900 left.

"No matter how well-capable you may be, in the face of my Super Defense Deck, you can no longer reduce my Life Points," the proctor stated, causing Kenji to smirk from in the stands.

'_Sounds a lot like the one I went against for my duel exam,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"I activate the Trap Card, _Ring Of Destruction_!" the examinee announced as one of his reverse cards rose.

On the card was an image of some type of collar with grenades attached to it. Once the card stood straight, the collar of grenades appeared on the neck of the examinee's own _Vorse Raider_.

"This card destroys a face-up monster on the field, and then both sides take damage equal to its ATK," the examinee explained.

At the end of the examinee's explanation, the collar of grenades exploded, destroying _Vorse Raider_ and reducing the Life Points of both duelists by 1900, leaving the examinee with 1300 to spare while the proctor had reached 0, causing the two remaining monsters to vanish.

"The examination duel is over. Congratulation. You've won," the examiner stated plainly.

"Thank you very much," the examinee said with a bow before his platform was lowered so he could return to the stands.

* * *

"Misawa Daichi, Examinee Number 1, is pretty good, isn't he?" inquired one of the spectators.

"It was worth coming all this way to see him after hearing the rumors, wasn't it, Manjoume-_san_?" asked another spectator.

"Nonsense. These entry exam duels are just set at a low level," said a spectator who sat between the other two, apparently Manjoume, who had black hair with the front of his hair spiked down over his face and the back of his hair spiked up. "Coming out of the academy for this was such a waste. The Duel Academia doesn't need two kings, only one."

* * *

"Number 1's combo was amazing, huh?" questioned the boy in the red shirt.

"Of course it was. That's Misawa-kun, Examine Number 1, or in other words, first place in the written test," said the blue-haired boy.

"Oh, so that's what your Examinee Number means, huh?" asked the brown-haired boy.

'_Geez. And to think I only made number 27,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"You pass depending on your grades on the written portion and the details of your duel. Even though I managed to win my duel, I'm not sure if they'll accept me, being that I'm Examinee Number 119 and all…" said the blue-haired boy with a rather unsure look on his face.

"Don't sweat it!" the brown-haired boy said as he gently pushed his hand onto the blue-haired boy's back before pointing at himself with his thumb while the blue-haired boy look at him. "If you're lucky enough, you'll pass! I'm Number 110, after all!"

"You're an examinee too?" the blue-haired boy asked.

"Sure am," the brown-haired boy answered.

"But the duels for the 100s already ended with the very first group," the blue-haired boy informed, causing the taller boy to have a shocked expression on his face.

"The little guy's right," Kenji said, earning the attention of the blue-haired boy and brown-haired boy. "I was Number 27 and they count down, not up. You might be out of luck."

"Aw man," the brown-haired boy said as he sulked a little more.

"Number 27? You're Yuuyami-_kun_?" the blue-haired boy asked.

"That's right, but call me Kenji," the Ninja duelist said.

"My name's Sho. I saw your duel and I thought you did really well going up against _Exxod_ and ending with only 1500 Life Points," the blue-haired boy said.

"Well if I had sent _Kurojaki_ at that _Stone Statue Of The Aztecs_ then I would've lost that duel. I was actually lucky to have drawn the _Fuhma Shuriken_," Kenji admitted as he scratched the back of his head.

* * *

As Misawa Daichi's duel finished, the teachers that were present were writing down the details and discussing the duel.

"We don't even need to deliberate on Misawa-_kun_. I think it's settled," said one of the teachers.

"Mm-hmm. He's the last of them," said another.

But while the conversation was carrying on, the man in the suit from outside who was letting the examinees in walked up to one of the teachers. The teacher in general had blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and wore a rather frilly uniform and could even be mistaken for a woman if one wasn't careful.

"I beg your pardon," the suited man said to the teacher, earning his attention. "There's one more examinee that made it to registration at the last minute…"

"What was he ranked on the written test?" the blonde teacher asked.

"He's Examinee Number 110," the suited man answered.

"He hardly has any sense of readiness if he's coming in at the last minute, no?" the teacher asked in an accent that sounded like a mix of both French and Italian, if that was even possible. "We have no need for a dropout boy in our academy-no ne."

"However, he made it on time, to a point, so he _does_ qualify for the exam," the suited man said.

"And a train accident is to blame, anyway…" another, older teacher added in.

"Not letting him take it might not be such a good idea, don't you think?" questioned another teacher.

"_Non problema--lema!_" the blonde teacher shouted, causing those near him to back away as he slammed his hands on the table and started shaking his head. "_Non! Non! Non!_"

But as the teacher was ranting his cell phone went off, causing him to stop and answer it.

"Yes? Who may I ask is speaking?" the blonde teacher asked before getting cheery upon hearing the caller. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Principal!"

"I heard that there's an examinee that made it in time for the test at the last minute due to a train accident," the principal said from the other end of the line. "He may have done poorly on his written exam, but don't deprive him of his chance. Our school's objective is to garner a wide range of talents to train them into well-rounded duelists, after all."

"Such sharp ears… You sly old dog…" the blonde teacher muttered as he turned off his cell phone. '_The Duel Academia is an academy for the Dueling Elite! Perché!? Why is Principal Samejima backing that dropout boy?_'

The blonde teacher put his phone back into his pocket as he made a decision.

"I will be dueling that examinee!" the blonde teacher announced before starting to walk off.

"P-Please wait!" another teacher called to him and stood up before pulling out a briefcase of cards. "Professor Chronos, please take an examination deck."

"I have no need for one of those!" the blonde teacher, Professor Chronos, scoffed and started to walk away. "I shall use my own deck."

* * *

Back up at the stands, Misawa Daichi took a seat at the top row just in front of Sho and the brown-haired boy and one column beside Kenji as he took off his Duel Disk.

"You're one tough customer," the brown-haired boy said, causing Misawa to turn and face him and Sho.

"I guess," Misawa said non-chalantly.

"You may be the second-strongest out of this year's examinees," the brown-haired boy said with a grin on his face, causing Misawa, Sho and Kenji to look at him.

"_Examinee Number 110: Yuki _Judai_-kun…_" the female voice over the PA system called.

"All right, then. I'm up," the brown-haired boy, Judai, said as he stood up straight and made his way down the stairs.

"Hey, you," Misawa said, getting Judai's attention and stopping him almost one row ahead. "Why am I Number 2?"

"Because I'm Number 1," Judai said as he pointed his thumb at himself before continuing down the stairs to the gathering room to be taken to his dueling field.

"He only scored nine higher than me on the written exam, so why is he so confident?" Sho wondered. "Lucky guy…"

"Let's see if he can back up his claim," Kenji said, his attention on the one field with a dueling proctor.

* * *

As Judai was lifted to the dueling field by the platform, Professor Chronos was having his dueling gear attached by two girls in yellow uniforms. The girls walked away once Judai's platform came to a stop.

"Buon giorno!" Professor Chronos greeted Judai, who stood at attention.

"Yuki Judai, sir!" Judai introduced himself.

"Signore Judai, I am Chronos de Medici, acting Chief General Director of Practical Application at the academy," Professor Chronos introduced himself as well.

* * *

"Chief General Director?" Kenji repeated from up in the stands. "No doubt he's going to be a tough opponent."

* * *

"What an honor. To think that Director of Practical Application would challenge _me_!" Judai said, excitement in his voice as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sure you're expecting a lot out of me!"

'_I'm struck speechless…_' Chronos thought to himself as he sweatdropped.

* * *

"Who'd think Professor Chronos would deal with this personally?" wondered one of the students in the stands who sat to the left of Manjoume.

"That Judai fellow must be pretty big, huh?" asked the student sitting to the right of Manjoume.

'_I can't believe this!_' Manjoume shouted in his head.

* * *

"Duel Coat, on!" Chronos said as he moved his hand over the deck-holding slot that rested over his chest, making it activate.

"That thing is really awesome!" Judai said with an amused look on his face as Chronos lifted the zone portion of his Duel Coat and drew his starting five cards. "Professor, can I buy one of those coats too?"

"All of the high-achieving students have one," Chronos stated plainly. '_Not that it would concern a dropout boy like you. It never will._'

"All right, then. I'll do my best!" Judai shouted, his voice and face full of enthusiasm.

"Duel!"

As Judai also drew his starting hand, both Life Point meters started at 4000 each.

Chronos: 4000

Judai: 4000

"My turn!" Judai said, taking the first turn as he drew his top card, adding it to his hand and looking his cards over. "All right. I summon _Elemental Hero Avian_ in Defense mode!"

As Judai played his card, a green man with feathered wings appeared on the field and crouched down crossing his arms. (1000/1000)

* * *

"Elemental Hero cards? Not bad for a beginning deck, but dangerous if you know how to use them properly," Kenji said.

"What makes you say that?" Sho wondered.

"Elemental Heroes are fusion-based monsters. Not many of them have the ATK or DEF to stand very long in a duel without being fused," Misawa answered for Kenji.

* * *

"Next, I'll set a card face-down on the field," Judai said as he pushed a card into his Spell & Trap Card zone, causing the hologram of the card's back to appear. "My turn's finished!"

Judai's Hand: 4

"It is my turn," Chronos said as he moved his hand up to the deck slot, which ejected the top card to his hand on its own, and the professor checked the card he drew and the rest in his hand. '_A Hero Deck, is it? I suppose you could say he's some kind of small town hero, then._'

Chronos took another quick glance at his hand before figuring out exactly how to handle Judai's monster.

"Allow me to teach you just how broad the world is!" Chronos said as he switched the card he had drawn for another card in his hand. "From my hand, I activate the Spell card, _Confiscation_!"

As Professor Chronos revealed his card, a shocked look appeared on Judai's face.

"What? _Confiscation_?" Judai repeated, wondering what the professor was up to.

"By paying 1000 Life Points, I can look at my opponent's hand, pick one card from it, and discard it to the Graveyard," Chronos explained.

The cards in Judai's hand started to glow as holographic version appeared and floated in front of Professor Chronos.

"Sure enough, a dropout boy's deck, I see," Chronos mused as he looked at the cards that were in front of him.

"_Is he scolding the deck I put my life into?_' Judai thought to himself.

"I'll send _Monster Reborn_ to the Graveyard!" Chronis said, pointing at the second floating card from his left, which turned around to reveal a glowing ankh before shattering into pixels while Judai pushed the selected card into the Graveyard slot.

Chronos: 3000

Judai: 4000

Judai's hand: 3

"Then, I'll place two cards face-down on the field," Chronos said as two cards appeared in his Spell & Trap card zone. "Next, I activate the Spell card, _Heavy Storm_, from my hand! This card will destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the entire field!"

* * *

"Why would he do that? He'll destroy his own cards!" Sho said, wondering what was going through the professor's head.

"Maybe that's what he planned to do in the first place," Kenji guessed.

* * *

A gust of wind picked up and blew across from Chronos' field to Judai's field, taking out their face-down cards, Judai's being _Draining Shield_.

"But Professor, your cards got mixed into it, too!" Judai said, thinking Chronos messed up his own plan.

"That's what they call "bring a frog in a well." Ribbit, ribbit!" Chronos said in an attempt to mock Judai as the field suddenly got dark.

"What's this?" Judai wondered.

"I Special Summon… the _Wicked Tokens_!" Chronos announced as two freaky snake-like monsters rose up on Chronos' side of the field. (1000/1000) x2

Everyone in the stands was in awe at Chronos' move.

* * *

"I don't have a clue as to what happened…" Sho said.

"_Statue Of The Wicked_ is a special Trap that creates Tokens when it is destroyed. Professor Chronos destroyed his own Trap cards to utilize its effect," Misawa explained.

"And there's only one reason Professor Chronos would pull that move. He's going to tribute them," Kenji said since the ATK of the two Tokens matched the DEF of Judai's _Elemental Hero Avian_.

* * *

"That's no entry exam deck! It's Chronos's own Dark Ages Deck!" said the student sitting to the left of Manjoume.

"He established his combo and simultaneously quartered off Number 110's Trap!" the student sitting to the right of Manjoume said.

"For there to be an examinee that stands a chance against that deck…" the student sitting left of Manjoume said, slightly intruigued by the duel.

"…is wishful thinking, right?" Manjoume scoffed. "I thought that examinee was something special, but I was sorely mistaken. Professor Chronos plans on giving that dropout boy's fleeting dreams a thorough stomping on."

* * *

"I feel sorry for him," said a girl with long blonde hair in a white uniform lined with blue and wearing a blue miniskirt who was standing at the top of the spectator's area looking over the railings. "It appears Chronos doesn't fancy him."

"This should be worth seeing," a young man standing next to the girl with dark blue hair and also wearing a white uniform lined with blue and blue pants said, causing the girl to turn and face him. "The Dark Ages Deck… Thanks to Number 110 here, we might have the honor of seeing its legendary rare card."

The girl's name was Tenjouin Asuka, also known as the Queen of Obelisk Blue, while the young man's name was Marufuji Ryo, also known as the Kaiser of Duel Academia.

* * *

"My turn is not over as of yet!" Professor Chronos announced, causing Judai to chuckle in amusement.

"Sounds fun! What're you going to show me this time, sensei?" Judai asked in anticipation.

"Next, I sacrifice both my _Wicked Tokens_…" Professor Chronos said plainly as his two token monsters vanished in a blaze of fire. "…to summon _Ancient Gear Golem_!"

As Chronos played his card, something started to rise from behind the professor. Everyone watching was in awe at what was about to appear.

* * *

"That's his… legendary rare card…!" Asuka said as her eyes widened.

But Asuka wasn't the only one in awe. Ryo was also wide-eyed at how early Chronos was playing his greatest card.

* * *

From behind Professor Chronos, a hulking humanoid machine with rusted parts and visible gears rose, its one red eye glaring at Judai and his monster. (3000/3000)

"Awesome! The rumors told me about this thing," Judai said, actually eager to go up against Chronos's monster.

Everyone in the stands was still in awe at how early Chronos's monster was summoned.

* * *

"An eight-star monster just out of the blue like that!" Sho said, a little afraid for Judai's situation.

* * *

"Chronos de Medici has yet to lose once he's summoned that card," Ryo pointed out. "I wouldn't have pegged that examinee to have the power to make the Professor take this seriously."

"Professor Chronos _is_ rather fickle, you know," Asuka said before letting out a sigh. "It's a shame. I caught the sound of the Academia's iron doors closing shut."

* * *

"Here I go!" Professor Chronos cackled. "**Ultimate Pound!!**"

At the call of its attack, the _Ancient Gear Golem_'s red eye started to glow as its gear began to move. The monster pulled back its right arm before throwing it at _Elemental Hero Avian_, destroying the winged monster.

* * *

"_Ancient Gear Golem_'s ATK is 3000, while _Avian_'s DEF is only 1000!" Sho said, stated the obvious, now more worried for Judai's chances. "It didn't stand a chance!"

"And that's not the half of it," Misawa said as he began to explain the monster's effect. "When that monster attacks a monster in Defense mode, and its ATK is higher than that card's DEF, its effect deals that difference as damage to the opponent."

"N-No way... Then, that monster defies the rules, doesn't it!?" Sho said in shock.

"Unfortunately it doesn't. Effects that do piercing damage were created for that purpose. They're not breaking any rules," Kenji said, causing Sho to become even more worried. '_And it'll just be harder for Judai to beat that monster._'

_

* * *

Ancient Gear Golem_'s fist flew right at Judai, but faded through him while dealing damage to the brown-haired boy while Chronos just laughed at Judai's predicament.

Professor Chronos: 3000

Judai: 2000

"Already lose your fighting spirit, have you?" Chronos taunted as he heard Judai struggling from the effect of the _Gear Golem_'s punch, but then Judai started to laugh.

"I'm really touched… that the General Directing Professor is dueling his hardest against me!" Judai said with enthusiasm.

'_What? How mistaken is he?_' Chronos thought to himself, shocked at Judai's sudden burst of energy. '_I never intended on letting a dropout boy like you go through the gates of the prestigious Duel Academia!_'

Chronos's Hand: 1

'_This is where my true power'll get put to the test!_' Judai thought to himself as he reached for his deck, but then a voice rang through his ears.

"_Kuri kuri kuri!_" the voice said, causing Judai to stop and look down at his deck.

'_Who's that calling me?_' Judai wondered as he pulled the top card of his deck and looked at it.

The monster on the card was pretty much a _Kuriboh_ with wings.

'_It's you from earlier…_' Judai said in his mind as he thought back to when he got the card just earlier today. '_It couldn't be…_'

The wings on the card started to glow, but whether or not Judai noticed wasn't visible on his face.

'_I see, then. You're _Winged Kuriboh_?_' Judai thought to himself as he let his eyes scan the card to see what is could do, but then the _Winged Kuriboh_ monster on the card winked at Judai, causing Judai to half-smile back at it. '_All right. I'll trust in you._'

Judai took a quick look at the rest of his hand to see if there was anything else he could play along with _Winged Kuriboh_, but when he couldn't find anything he just decided to play the monster.

"From my hand, I summon _Winged Kuriboh_ in Defense mode!" Judai announced as he played the card.

Light swirled around one of the monster spaces as a small, furry puffball with wings appeared on the field. (300/200)

"Then, I set a card face-down to end my turn!" Judai announced as a face-down card appeared behind _Winged Kuriboh_.

Judai's hand: 2

* * *

"Not a bad move, Judai," Kenji said.

"What are you talking about, Kenji-kun?" Sho asked.

"You'll see," Kenji assured the blue-haired boy while Misawa just kept his attention on the field.

* * *

Judai's move, however, just caused Professor Chronos to laugh.

"A feathered _Kuriboh_… You have quite a rare card there, don't you? However, it is just a low-level monster, is it not?" Professor Chronos asked, mocking Judai's monster. "You may have played it in Defense mode, but it will not stave off _Ancient Gear Golem_'s piercing effect! I suppose a smallfry monster befits a smallfry! My turn, is it not?"

As Professor Chronos moved his hand to his Deck, his Duel Coat ejected the top card.

"This is the end," Chronos said in a declaration of victory. "_Ancient Gear Golem_, use Ultimate Pound on _Winged Kuriboh_!"

The giant machine pulled its fist back before throwing it forward at Judai's monster, destroying _Winged Kuriboh_ on contact as Judai braced himself.

'_Forgive me,_ Winged Kuriboh_,_' Judai said to his monster through thought.

"Why aren't your Life Points decreasing?" Professor Chronos asked, wondering if Judai's Duel Disk glitched or something.

"On the turn that _Winged Kuriboh_'s destroyed, any damage I take becomes zero," Judai explained, causing Chronos' eyes to widen in surprise.

* * *

"Who'd think that there's a card Chronos doesn't know about?" Asuka said, surprise in her voice.

"There are some places that not even the Professor can reach," Ryo said, not even the least bit surprised. "The Dueling World is boundless."

"And that's why it's so interesting," Asuka said.

* * *

"So, that was your smallfry monster's special ability, was it?" Professor Chronos chuckled as Judai moved _Winged Kuriboh_'s card from his field zone to his Graveyard.

"You'll pay for calling a friend who put his life on the line to protect me a "smallfry"!" Judai snapped back.

"Such a smart-alec! Is there a problem with me calling your throw-away monster a "smallfry"?" Chronos taunted.

"There is," Judai answered. "_Winged Kuriboh_'s shriek is the signal that'll call the monsters in my deck out into action! Trap car, activate! _Hero Signal_!"

Judai's face-down card rose up, revealing a signal light with a tricked-out H being shone above a city. The card then started to glow as the signal light on the card shot out towards the arena's ceiling. Professor Chronos just looked up at the ceiling in awe.

"From my deck, I special-summon my second Elemental Hero, _Bustinatrix_!" Judai announced as he pulled the card out of his deck and played it before shuffling his deck.

The monster that appeared from the card had white skin and appeared to be wearing a red jumpsuit. She also had long black hair that stopped at her wait, the tips as white as ash and what looked like a gold helmet on her head. (1200/800)

"My turn!" Judai said as he pulled his top card, looking at what he drew and then the rest of his hand. "_Winged Kuriboh_, I've got a tight hold on all of your encouragement. Just watch me! And then, _Avian_'s going to use his unyielding fighting spirit to come back from the dead! I use the Spell card, _Warrior Returning Alive_, to bring him back from the Graveyard and into my hand, and then summon him!"

As Judai pushed his Spell card into the Graveyard, his Duel Disk ejected _Elemental Hero Avian_, which Judai took and placed on the field, causing the green, feathered hero to reappear. (1000/1000) But Professor Chronos just scoffed.

"What good will your fragile little comic book heroes do you?" Chronos asked. "They are nothing more than Normal monsters!"

"_Avian_ and _Burstinatrix_… Normal monsters with low ATK are just their temporary forms. You'll be surprised once you see their true form, Professor," Judai said as he held up one card.

* * *

Up in the stands, Sho just looked down at the field in awe as Misawa grinned.

"Now it gets interesting," Kenji mused.

* * *

"I activate the Spell card, _Polymerization_!" Judai announced as the card started to glow.

Both _Elemental Hero Avian_ and _Elemental Hero Burstinatrix_ jumped into the air.

"This'll fuse _Avian_ and _Burstinatrix_!" Judai explained as his two monsters turned into pixels and swirled together. "Fusion-summon! My favorite card, _Elemental Hero Flame Wingman_!"

The resulting Fusion monster that appeared looked more like a humanoid dragon with green skin and black stripes. Its right arm was replaced with a red dragon's head and he had a red tail and a single white wing on the left side of his body. (2100/1200) Judai's newest monster hovered in front of him and stared down Chronos' gigantic machine. However, there was still a gap of 900 ATK points between them. Everyone in the stands was in awe, though, at Judai's move.

* * *

"Cool!" Sho said, completely awe-struck.

"_Flame Wingman_ can only be summoned through a fusion-summon. It can deal damage to the opposing player equal to the ATK of the opposing monster it destroys by battle," Misawa explained.

"But even so, _Flame Wingmans_'s ATK is 2100, falling short of _Ancient Gear Golem_'s ATK," Sho said, once again getting worried for his new friend.

"Remember though, ATK points aren't everything," Kenji said.

"Yeah. And if he's really Number 1, he'll figure something out," Misawa said as Kenji nodded in agreement.

"Actually, he's Number 110…" Sho corrected.

* * *

"Allow me to give you a special lecture. Listen up," Chronos said to get Judai's attention. "Your worthless tripe is useless in a duel! Make sure to keep that in mind. You may have fusion-summoned, but its ATK is 2100. It comes well short of my _Ancient Gear Golem_!"

"Then, I'm going to teach you something, Professor," Judai said as he held up the last card in his hand and the Field Spell slot in his Duel Disk opened up. "Heroes have a battle arena fit just for Heroes! The Field Spell, _Skyscraper_!"

As Judai played the card, the entire arena started to change. It got a little darker as building rose out of the ground, towering over the entire field with the exception of _Ancient Gear Golem_, who happened to be the same height as the buildings. But standing on top of one of the building, with the moon behind him, was Judai's monster _Flame Wingman_ with his arms crossed.

"Okay, the stage is set! Go, _Flame Wingman_! Attack _Ancient Gear Golem_!" Judai shouted to declare his attack.

_Flame Wingman_ jumped off the skyscraper and dove down towards the _Ancient Gear Golem_ at full speed.

"_Scherzi_! You must be joking! _Flame Wingman_'s ATK doesn't hold a candle to _Ancient Gear Golem_!" Professor Chronos said, thinking Judai had made a mistake.

As _Flame Wingman_ reached the _Gear Golem_, it landed before jumped upward, straight into the air.

"A Hero always wins!" Judai stated. "_Skyscraper_'s effect is that, should a Hero fight against a monster with an ATK higher than its own, will increase its ATK by 1000 points!"

"O, Dio!" Chronos shouted in Italian as _Flame Wingman_'s ATK increased from the Field Spell. (2100-3100/1200)

"Take this! **Skyscraper Shoot!!**" Judai shouted his monster's attack name.

While still in the air, _Flame Wingman_ spun around before igniting on fire and diving straight at _Ancient Gear Golem_, cutting right through the mechanized monster. Everyone in the stands just watched in awe at the resulting explosion.

Chronos: 2900

Judai: 2000

"Mamma mia! My _Ancient Gear Golem_…!" Professor Chronos shouted in shock, wondering what happened to his monster until a piece of debris fell onto the teacher's head and _Flame Wingman_ landed back on Judai's side of the field.

"_Flame Wingman_'s effect makes you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK, Professor," Judai explained.

"What…!?" Professor Chronos asked, unable to believe his ears until he looked up and saw his monster start to fall over.

Chronos just ran back and forth in an attempt to escaped his monster falling on him.

"N-no, no, no, no! No!" Chronos cried out until _Ancient Gear Golem_ toppled right onto Professor Chronos, burying him in rusted scrap metal.

Chronos: 0

Judai: 2000 (winner)

Judai then struck out his right hand, pointing his index and middle finger at the fallen Professor Chronos.

"Gotcha! That sure was a fun duel, Professor!" Judai shouted in victory with a smile on his face as the field and monsters vanished.

"How? How was I beaten by that dropout boy…?" Professor Chronos asked himself as he still lay on the ground.

* * *

Everyone in the stands was in complete awe, shocked that Judai managed to not only beat a Duel Proctor, but Professor Chronos of all people.

"I can't believe Professor Chronos was beaten by an examinee…!" Manjoume said, wide-eyed at what had happened on the field.

* * *

"He's pretty interesting, isn't he?" Asuka asked Ryo as she looked down at the field before turning to face her friend, only to see him walking away.

* * *

"Way to go, Number 110!" Sho cheered from his place in the stands.

'_You might turn out to be a fine rival, Nimber 1-kun…_' Misawa thought to himself.

'_Yuki Judai-kun. I wouldn't mind facing him in a duel some time,_' Kenji said in his mind as a smirk appeared across his face.

* * *

"Yay! I won! I did it!" Judai cheered for himself as he jumped in place on the dueling field and waved to the spectators before pulling out _Winged Kuriboh_. "I'll be counting on you from now on, Partner."

"_Kuri kuri!_" the winged monster squeaked as it winked at Judai, though he didn't notice it.

* * *

**A/N: And that's our chapter! Sorry about the abrupt ending, but it is where the episode cuts off. Now, for the self-made cards that Kenji used (and will use), I will post them up on my profile page so everyone can check them out.**

**Next Time: The examinees are assigned to their dorms and given their uniforms! But someone picks a fight with Judai. Will he get expelled on his first day? You'll just have to wait and see!**

**Please R&R, everyone!**


	2. Welcome To Duel Academia!

**A/N: Hey everyone and welcome to the next exciting chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX: Duel Academia Legends! Now a few things before we start, I had to keep this chapter as close to the anime as possible (meaning I had to use anime logic), so prepare to see screw-ups with a few cards in here. Second, the duel between Kenji and Ryo in this duel will look very similar to the one between Kenji and Zane in Duelist Of Dawn's GX story, but there are some changes due to changes in monster effects. So anyway, let's get on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Yu-Gi-Oh! series**

**

* * *

Turn 2: Welcome To Duel Academia!**

Three days after the entrance duels exams, Kenji and the other examinees who managed to pass were sitting in a helicopter, which was taking them to the destination they'd been working so hard to get to: Duel Academia. Kenji himself was wondering what the academy was like, much like the rest of the new students were, and was looking forward to living there for the next three years. The Ninja duelist also shot a glance to Judai, who was fast asleep in his seat, still hoping to have a duel with him some time in the future. Sitting next to the sleeping Judai, Sho had his hands pressed against the window as he looked out towards the Duel Academia Island in the distance. Misawa Daicha sat in the seat behind Sho and also looked out the window towards the island as Kenji sat in the aisle across from them.

It didn't take much longer as the helicopter landed in front of the large building in the middle of the island. Once the helicopter touched down, the students were led out towards the front doors of the building, their names and examinee numbers being called out one at a time. As each student was called, they were handed a bag which would contain their uniforms.

"Please make your way to the change rooms and put these on. Afterwards, follow the arrows posted on the school walls to meet the Headmaster," a man wearing a suit and shades, similar to the one who was letting examinees enter the Kaiba Dome for their duel exams, said once all the students received their bags.

All the students complied and headed for their designated change rooms, Judai having to be half dragged by Sho and Kenji since the Elemental Hero duelist was still half asleep. Upon entering the men's change room, the male students reached into the bags that were handed to them and pulled out blazers, ranging from red, to yellow, to blue.

"Hey, this is cool," Kenji said as he held up his blue blazer. "Now just one more thing…"

Kenji took off his travel bag and opened it, revealing it to be full of extra clothes and other essentials. But resting at the top were three headbands. One red, one yellow and one blue. Kenji untied his black headband and replaced it with the blue one, tying the blue headband around his forehead before taking off his black jacket and putting on the blue blazer.

"Fits like a glove," Kenji said as he patted the blazer to make sure it wasn't too tight or too loose.

Kenji then made his way out of the change room, after putting his jacket into his travel bag, and followed the other students who finished changing down the halls.

* * *

After several minutes, Kenji and the other students found themselves in a room that would be seen in a university. Kenji looked around and spotted Judai, Sho and Misawa. But unlike him, Misawa wore a yellow blazer while Sho and Judai, though Judai was still asleep, were wearing red blazers. Kenji also noticed several other students wearing different blazers. Other boys wearing the same blazer as him while some wore yellow blazers like Misawa and the rest wore red blazers. However, most of the girls wore white blouses lines with blue and blue miniskirts while the rest of the girl wore white blouses lined with yellow and wearing yellow miniskirts.

'_No girls in red? That's odd,_' Kenji wondered.

Some seconds later, the giant screen hanging on the back of the wall flickered to life, getting everyone's attention as a man who looked to be somewhere in his late forties appeared on the screen. The man was bald and had a tan goatee and wore a dark red blazer.

'_I'm guessing this is the guy in charge,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"Welcome, Dueling Elites," the man said in a pleasant tone. "You all used your skills to open the narrow admission gates. Please have fun studying in hopes of becoming the future Duel King."

However, throughout the whole thing, Judai was snoozing without a care in the world.

* * *

Once the introduction by the headmaster was finished, the students were led back out the main doors, where they were handed PDA-like devices which stored a student's ID, their grades, a map of the island and just about anything else they'd need. As most of the students wandered away from the main entrance to converse, Judai and Sho sat on a little statue, checking out their hand-held devices. Everyone was also handed Duel Disks issued by Duel Academia.

"The dorms we'll be living in from now on are split into three," Judai said to himself as he flipped through his Student Personal Planner, as the devices were called on the island. "Oh, Osiris Red is my dorm."

"Ah, I'm Red too," Sho said as he sat on the opposite side of the statue Judai was sitting on.

While Judai and Sho figured out their dorms, Kenji and Misawa walked out to meet them.

"Hey guys," Kenji called out to the two Reds.

"Hey there, Kenji. Are you in Red too?" Sho asked.

"Nope. I've been placed in Obelisk Blue," Kenji answered.

"What about you, Number 2?" Judai asked, referring to Misawa as Number 2 ever since the duel exams.

"Nope, I can tell from my uniform. I'm a Ra Yellow," Misawa answered.

"Oh, so that's what your uniform color means?" Judai wondered as he checked the sleeve of his blazer.

"But with the skills you showed back at the exams, I figured you'd at least be in Yellow with Misawa," Kenji wondered.

"Yes, that's very peculiar," Misawa said in agreement.

"Hmm? That's putting it somewhat vaguely…" Judai said almost as if he was insulted.

"Well, don't let it bother you. I'll be on my way, now, Number 1-_kun_," Misawa said as he walked off towards the Ra Yellow dorm while Judai laughed.

"Well, _you_ just better do your best, and try not to let things get you down!" Judai called out to Misawa, waving to him, but Misawa stopped before he went very far.

"Ah, that's right… your dorms are over there," Misawa said as he pointed his thumb in the direction of Judai's and Sho's dorm.

"And by the looks of things, my dorm's over on the other side," Kenji said as he checked his Personal Planner. "Well, I'll see you guys later."

Kenji waved his three friends farewell and made his way to the Obelisk Blue dorms, which were separated into a boy's dorm and a girl's dorm.

* * *

Both Obelisk dorms looked like mansions, if not castles. Kenji just gave a sharp whistle.

"This is impressive," Kenji said to himself as he made his way into the dorm and up to his assigned room.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Judai and Sho arrived at… what _should_ be their dorm, but looked more like a large storage shed with several rooms.

"What is _this_?" Sho wondered as he and Judai looked around the building. "Is the Osiris Red form the only dorm that sucks?"

"Oh, yeah? This place has a great view, and it's got appeal!" Judai said, already enjoying his new home away from home.

* * *

Back at Kenji's dorm room, the Ninja duelist had unpacked everything and carefully put everything he brought with him in specific places. Scrolls hung from the wall as mats were placed in a specific pattern on the floor around the bed. Everything else remained in the travel bag as Kenji placed it on the table by his bed.

"Perfect. Now it feels comfy," Kenji said as he looked around the room.

* * *

Back with Judai and Sho, the two Reds finally stopped looking around the dorm and made it to their room.

"This is it! This is it! This is our room!" Judai said in excitement as he unlocked the door and opened it.

"We're in the same room, huh?" Sho wondered as he checked his Personal Planner while the two of them entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"Well, it's surprisingly small, but there's enough room to live on, and it suits me just fine," Judai said, already getting used to the room.

The room in particular had a triple bunk bed at one end of the room and three desks at the other end with only two chairs. Near the door was a mini kitchen, but all it had was a sink and a few cooking utensils.

"With us living together, we must be linked together by fate or something!" Sho said as his imagination started going, picturing himself and Judai in the past as an Egyptian Pharaoh and a priest. "We might be the reincarnation of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh and his Priest Seto! Your entry exam was so cool… Would you mind if I called you "Pharaoh," Judai-_kun_?"

"Umm, wouldn't "Pharaoh" be weird?" Judai asked, seeming a little creeped out by Sho's request.

"Well, how about "Big Bro"?" Sho asked.

"There's no social standing among duelists, just rivals," Judai tried to explain to Sho.

"But it really suits you…" Sho said, getting a little despressed.

"Go figure…" Judai said, wondering if he hurt the little guy's feelings. "From now on, let's work together towards becoming the Duel King!"

Judai then went to open the blinds to the window, but then heard someone shout at him.

"Ah! That's too bright! Shut the curtains!" the voice shouted, causing Judai and Sho to jump while Judai quick shut the curtains.

"There was someone here," Sho figured as both he and Judai looked up at the top bunk.

"S-Sorry, I didn't notice you," Judai said as he scratched the back of his head.

"So, a couple of new students full of dreams, huh?" the voice asked as the body behind the voice looked over the bunk at Judai and Sho.

The boy was rather chubby and had the face of a certain Koala monster, which freaked the other two boys out.

"A-A _Death Koala_!" both Judai and Sho shouted in fear as they grabbed each other.

"Don't call me a koala! I'm your roommate, Maeda Hayato!" the chubby boy shouted at Judai and Sho.

"Sorry. I'm Yuki Judai," Judai apologized and introduced himself.

"I'm Marufuji Sho…" Sho introduced himself, still a little scared of Hayato.

But when Hayato, who was wearing a white blazer lined with red, just rolled over to turn his backs to the other two, Judai and Sho just stared at each other.

"Do either of you know what the "Red" in "Osiris Red" means?" Hayato asked his roommates without even turning around to look at them.

"Sure don't," Judai answered.

"Does it have some sort of meaning?" Sho asked, causing Hayato to turn back around and face his roommates.

" "Red" is for "Red Zone." It means we're all a chancy bunch," Hayato explained as he turned to lie on his back and stare at the ceiling. "In Duel Academia, you're split into three dorms depending on your grades: Obelisk Blue, Ra Yellow, and Osiris Red. Obelisk Blue is occupied by the high-achievers from middle school, or anyone with special connections. And those who got in by taking the high school exam are first assigned to Ra Yellow."

"Then, what's Osiris Red?" Sho dared to ask.

"It's a beat-up gathering place for the dropouts with horrible grades," Hayato answered plainly, causing Sho to sweatdrop until the larger boy looked directly at his roommates again. "Do you get it? Those that've been sent here never had a future from the get-go."

Hayato then turned around again as Sho sighed.

* * *

While Judai and Sho were being introduced to their roommate, Kenji was having his own idea to meet his fellow Obelisks.

"Yeah! That's another one for me!" Kenji shouted as he claimed yet another victory in the main hall of the Obelisk Boy's Dorm.

"Whoa, he's good," one spectator said.

"Yeah. He's only a first year, but he's managed to take down a quarter of the second-year students and most of the first-years without taking much damage, if any," another spectator said.

'_It feels good to get a look practice around here after the entrance exams. But 4000 point duels become so boring with easy One-Turn Kills,_' Kenji thought to himself as he looked around at the crowd. "Anyone else want a shot at me?"

No one answered to his challenge.

"No? Then I guess I'll have to pick someone at random then! Let's see here…" Kenji said as he looked around until he spotted someone standing at the top of the stairs. "How about you?"

Kenji pointed his finger at a young man with dark blue hair, who just stood there while everyone else gasped in awe.

"He can't be serious, can he?" Kenji heard one student ask.

"No way. Taking him on would be crazy," another student said.

However, the student Kenji pointed at just walked down the stairs and into the circle, standing across from Kenji.

"So you accept my challenge?" Kenji asked the student; though he had no idea he challenged none other than the Kaiser of Duel Academia, Marufuji Ryo.

"Very well then. I've seen your duels and so far I'm slightly impressed," Ryo said.

"Well how about this? None of these other guys were up to it, but how would you feel to an 8000 point duel? I've been itching for one since the end of the entry exams," Kenji requested.

"Sorry, but I'd like to see how good you are for myself before we go that high," Ryo said as he slapped on his academy-issued Duel Disk and inserted his deck while Kenji shuffled his deck before sliding it back in. "Besides, I assure you that you'll have your hands full against me."

"Alright, if you say so. 4000 it is," Kenji said.

"You might find you've bitten off more than you can chew, challenging a third-year like me," Ryo said.

"A third-year, eh? Now I'm really looking forward to this," Kenji said as both Duel Disks activated.

"Duel!"

Ryo: 4000

Kenji: 4000

"I'll give the first move to you," Ryo said as he drew his first five cards.

"If you say so," Kenji said, drawing his five starting cards and his sixth card to start his turn. "I summon my _Ninja Kato_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a ninja wearing a full-body dark blue suit appeared, the only part of him visible being his black eyes. (1300/1300)

"And I'll end my turn by setting a facedown," Kenji said and a card appeared behind _Kato_

Kenji's hand: 4

"Very well then. My turn!" Ryo said as he drew his top card. "I summon _Cyber Dragon_ in Attack mode!"

As Ryo played his card, a mechanical serpent appeared on the field. (2100/1600)

"A 5-star monster?" Kenji wondered.

"As long as my opponent controls at least one monster while I control none, I can special-summon _Cyber Dragon_," Ryo explained. "And I still have my Normal summon left. So I summon _Heavy Mech Support Platform_!"

From the sky, a small jet-like machine slowly descended next to _Cyber Dragon_. (500/500)

"My _Support Platform_ in a Union monster that can be equipped to any Machine-type monster I control to increase its ATK and DEF by 500. So I'll Union it to my _Cyber Dragon_," Ryo said as the jet flew behind _Cyber Dragon_ and attached itself to the metal serpent. (2100-2600/1600-2100) "Now attack with **Evolution Burst!**"

The mechanical dragon opened its jaw and spewed a stream of fire at Kenji's monster, engulfing it in the flames.

Ryo: 4000

Kenji: 2700

"Sorry, but he's not going anywhere. Once per turn _Ninja Kato_ can escape destruction through battle!" Kenji explained as _Kato_ jumped out of the flames, only to land back where he was previously standing once the flames died out.

'_So a defender monster, is it? He seems to know what he was doing,_' Ryo thought to himself. "Next, I'll set one card face-down. Turn end."

Ryo pushed a card into his Duel Disk to signify his move.

Ryo's hand: 3

"My turn!" Kenji said, drawing his next card. '_Not much I can do at the moment with these, but they'll come in handy later._'

Kenji pushed two cards into his Duel Disk and set a card in the monster zone.

"I'll set one monster and place one card facedown. My turn's done," Kenji said.

Kenji's hand: 3

"My turn. Draw!" Ryo pulled his next card. "It may be more than just your turn that's done. I play the Spell card, _Polymerization_!"

As Ryo played his card, two more _Cyber Dragon_s appeared on the field.

'_Three _Cyber Dragon_s__? Is he going for a triple-fusion!_' Kenji asked himself in his head, his eyes widened at the possibility.

As soon as Ryo played his _Polymerization_ everyone watching the duel was backing the blue-haired young man.

"Yeah! This duel's over!" one person shouted.

"That Kenji guy never stood a chance against Ryo-_san_," another person said.

"Especially since no one has been able to do any damage to Ryo-_san_'s Life Points in three years," a third person said.

'_So undefeated and untouched for three years, huh? Well, time to show them what I can do,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"I fuse the two _Cyber Dragon_s in my hand!" Ryo declared as the two monsters vanished into a black vortex. "Fusion-summon! _Cyber Twin Dragon_!"

The new monster that slithered out of the vortex looked pretty much like a twin-headed _Cyber Dragon_. (2800/2100)

"2800 ATK? Now this is getting interesting," Kenji said with a grin.

"Then do you know my monster can attack twice per Battle Phase?" Ryo asked, causing Kenji to gasp in shock. "**Evolution Twin Burst!**"

At the call of its attack, _Cyber Twin Dragon_ released two blasts of fire a _Ninja Kato_, destroying him in the flames.

"Now my _Cyber Dragon_ will attack your remaining monster. **Evolution Burst!**" Ryo called as the serpent spewed out fire once more at the facedown monster.

As the flames neared the hidden monster, the card slowly turned over to reveal the card to be an _Armed Ninja_.

"Sorry, but since you revealed my _Armed Ninja_, I get to destroy one Spell or Trap card. And since Union monsters become Equip Spells when attached to a monster, that means you lose your boost!" Kenji said as his _Armed Ninja_ threw its weapon at the _Heavy Mech Support Platform_ just as he was destroyed, weakening Ryo's _Cyber Dragon_. (2600-2100/2100-1600)

"And now you've fallen into my trap…" Ryo said as his facedown card slowly rose. "_De-Fusion_! This card will cancel my _Cyber Twin Dragon_'s fusion!"

As Ryo played his card, his _Cyber Twin Dragon_ vanished as two _Cyber Dragon_s appeared to take its place. (2100/1600) x2

'_Not good!_' Kenji shouted in his head as he took an involuntary step back.

"Now I have two more attacks. **Evolution Burst!**" Ryo commanded and both monsters released their flames.

"Reverse card open! Continuous Trap card: _Call Of The Haunted_!" Kenji shouted as one of his facedown cards rose, the picture being that of a cemetery. "With this card I can special-summon one monster in my Graveyard back to the field! Reappear, _Ninja Kato_!"

The Ninja monster burst out of the ground, in Attack position, and stood in front of the attacks, taking both and being destroyed by the second attack as Kenji's Trap card vanished. (1300/1300)

Kenji: 1100

Ryo: 4000

"Not bad. Reviving a monster that can take more than one attack before being destroyed," Ryo said, a little impressed by Kenji's move. "Show me what you're capable of."

"My pleasure. Draw!" Kenji said, pulling his next card. "I play the Spell card _Pot Of Greed_ to draw two more cards!"

As Kenji pushed the Spell card into his Graveyard, he pulled two more cards from the top of his deck.

'_Just what I was looking for,_' Kenji thought to himself as he looked at the cards he drew. "I summon _Ninja Reptile_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played the card, a ninja appeared wearing black pants and boots on the lower half of his body while the upper half was covered by a black sleeveless shirt and hood. He also wore what looked like green leather armor over his forearms and lower legs. Placed over his shirt was a green V-shaped vest and a green mask with fangs as the design covered his mouth. (900/2000)

"I'll then set one card and end my turn there," Kenji said, causing everyone to murmur about his move, but both he and Ryo ignored them.

"Looks like this duel's over," Ryou said as his pulled his next card.

"Activate Trap! _Battle Mania_!" Kenji announced as the card he had set on his first turn rose, showing two high school students and a little kid about to gang up on a martial artist. "When this card is activated, my opponent must attack with every face-up monster he or she controls!"

"I'll be happy to oblige. But first I'll play the Spell card _Mystical Space Typhoon_ to destroy your facedown!" Ryo declared as he played the Spell card, a miniature tornado flying out of the card and enveloping Kenji's facedown before shattering it. "Now my _Cyber Dragon_s, attack with Evolution Burst!"

As Ryo's monsters began their attack, Kenji merely smirked.

"Not so fast! The card you just destroyed was my _Cross-Counter Trap_ Trap card!" Kenji announced as the card Ryo had destroyed reappeared on the field. "When this card is destroyed, I'm allowed to activate any Trap card in my hand. So I'll play my _Spirit Barrier_ Trap!"

As the _Cross-Counter Trap_ vanished, it was replaced by another Trap card, its image showing one monster firing an attack at a green monster, but a barrier formed around the green monster, protecting it from harm.

"As long as I have a monster on the field, all Battle Damage done to me is reduced to zero!" Kenji explained right as his monster was struck by the flames.

"Even so, your monster will be destroyed by one of mine. And with no monster to protect you, my other _Cyber Dragon_s will deplete your Life Points," Ryo said, but then noticed that not only had Kenji's Life Points not decreased at all, _Ninja Reptile_ was still on the field. "What the?"

"My monster's effect. So long as _Ninja Reptile_ remains in Attack mode, he can't be destroyed by battle!" Kenji explained, as _Ninja Reptile_ was completely unharmed. "But that's not all. Any monster that battles against _Ninja Reptile_ loses 100 ATK times their level. And with all three of your dragons being forced to attack and being level 5, they all lose 500 ATK points!"

At the end of Kenji's sentence, _Ninja Reptile_ grabbed the bottom of his mouth mask and pulled it up, not just pulling off the mask but his entire face to reveal a lizard-like head. The sight freaked out the spectators as acid dripped from _Reptile_'s mouth before he spit acid at each of the three _Cyber Dragon_s. (2100-1600/1600) x3 _Ninja Reptile_ then put its face back on.

"Then I'll end my turn," Ryo said, not even phased that his three monsters were weakened.

Ryo's hand: 1

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his top card. "Alright, time to get serious. I play the Spell card _Shadow Clone_! This card allows me to special-summon one _Ninja_ monster from my hand or Deck as long as its level is equal to or lower than a _Ninja_ monster currently on my field. And since _Reptile_ is a level 3 monster, I can call out a level 3 or lower monster."

Kenji pulled his Deck out of his Duel Disk and searched it, pulling out the card he wanted and shuffling his Deck before putting it back in its slot.

"I choose _Ninja Commando Kabuki_!" Kenji said as he played the card, a ninja wearing a white mask and white armor jumping out of the card and onto the field. (700/700) "But that's not all. When _Ninja Commando Kabuki_ is summoned, I can special-summon any _Ninja_ monster from my hand or Deck."

Once more, Kenji searched through his Deck and grabbed the card he needed before shuffling his Deck again and putting it back.

"And this time I choose _Ninja Hattori_!" As Kenji played his card, a ninja dressed in black with silver shoulder guards, arm guards and shin guards as well as a red cape and a katana on his back dropped out of nowhere, landing perfectly on his feet. (2100/1700) "And next I'll play the Equip Spell card _Fuhma Shuriken_ and give it to _Ninja Reptile_!"

As Kenji played the card, a set of shuriken appeared around _Reptile_'s waist as one appeared in his hand. (900-1600/2000)

"_Hattori_, attack _Cyber Dragon_ with Shadow Blade!" Kenji ordered, causing the semi-armored ninja to charge at one of the mechanical serpents.

In a blur, _Hattori_ sped past one of Ryo's _Cyber Dragon_s with his sword drawn. Within seconds, the dragon exploded into pixels.

Kenji: 1100

Ryo: 3500

In an instant, the crowd started to buzz at Ryo's drop of Life Points.

"And it doesn't stop there. If _Ninja Hattori_ successfully destroys a monster, it can attack once more!" Kenji stated as _Hattori_ immediately dashed at another _Cyber Dragon_, cutting it in two before jumping back to Kenji's side of the field while _Cyber Dragon_ was destroyed.

Kenji: 1100

Ryo: 3000

"_Ninja Reptile_, take down his last monster!" Kenji commanded, to which _Reptile_ threw the shuriken it was holding and spat acid onto it, making it cut right through the serpent and destroying it. "_Ninja Kabuki_, direct attack!"

The white armored ninja charged at Ryo and, once close enough, delivered a kick and was blocked by Ryo's Duel Disk, though he still took the damage.

Kenji: 1100

Ryo: 2300

"Turn end," Kenji said as _Kabuki_ returned to his side of the field.

Kenji's hand: 3

However, even though he lost Life Points, Ryo merely chuckled.

"Not bad. You may have heard that no one has managed to get even scratch my Life Points in the last three years," Ryo said.

"Somewhat recently actually, yeah," Kenji said as he took a glance around at the crowd. "So I take it you're a really good duelist."

"Are you stupid or something!" Kenji and Ryo heard someone in the audience shout. "He's Marufuji Ryo-_san_, Kaiser of Duel Academia!"

The rest of the crowd rallied behind the one who shouted.

"Kaiser?" Kenji shouted in surprise, to which Ryo smirked, but Kenji just smirked back. "So you're the best duelist on the entire island then. Well, it certainly is a pleasure to face you."

"Well now you have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am now but I still haven't found out who you are," Ryo said.

"My name's Yuuyami Kenji," Kenji introduced himself, a grin on his face.

"Well then, Kenji-_kun_, let's finish up this duel, shall we?" Ryo asked, a grin also on his face.

"You got it!" Kenji agreed.

"Then it's my turn," Ryo said as he drew his next card. "I play the Spell card _Pot Of Greed_ to draw two more cards!"

As Ryo pushed the Spell card into his Graveyard, he drew another two from his deck.

"Then I'll play my _Different Dimension Capsule_!" Ryo announced as a sarcophagus with a stone clock on it appeared on the field. "With this card, I select one card from my deck and remove it from play. But on my second Standby Phase after activating _Different Dimension Capsule_, the card I removed from play returns to my hand."

Ryo then pulled out his deck and search through it. Once he found the card of his choice, he pulled it from the deck, not showing it to Kenji, and put it in his pocket before shuffling his deck and putting it back in its slot as the sarcophagus was lowered beneath the floor.

"Now I summon _Cyber Larva_ in Attack mode," Ryo said as he played the card, a metallic worm appearing on his field. (400/600) "Turn end."

Ryo's hand: 0

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his next card before eyeing Ryo's new monster. '_That thing must have some kind of effect if he's playing it in Attack mode. And I'm going to figure out what it is._' "_Ninja Hattori_, attack his _Cyber Larva_!"

My semi-armored ninja charged ahead and cleaved the metal worm in two, destroying it in an instant. However, Ryo's Life Points didn't drop.

"By destroying my _Cyber Larva_ you activated its effect. Upon its destruction, I receive no Battle Damage. But not only that, I get to special-summon one more _Cyber Larva_ from my deck," Ryo said as he pulled out his deck, grabbed the card and played it, summoning another _Cyber Larva_ in Attack mode as he shuffled his deck and put it back.

"I figured it had some kind of protection effect. I guess I'll end my turn then," Kenji said.

Kenji's hand: 4

"My turn," Ryo said as he pulled his next card, causing his sarcophagus from last turn to rise from the ground. "And on this turn, the card I removed from play returns to my hand."

"But it's only been one turn!" Kenji said, wondering why the card came back one turn early.

"That's true. But the card I removed…" Ryo said as he revealed the card he put away last turn. "Was _Card From A Different Dimension_. When it's removed from play, it returns to my hand on my following Standby Phase and lets us both draw two cards."

Both Kenji and Ryo drew their two extra cards.

Kenji's hand: 6

Ryo's hand: 4

"Now I'll play the Spell card _Time Fusion_!" Ryo said as he played the Spell, which showed an image of a clock being bent. "By removing a card in my hand from play, I can special-summon any Fusion monster from my deck next turn. However, I will not be able to attack with my monster the turn it's summoned."

As Ryo put _Time Fusion_ in the Graveyard, Kenji noticed the card Ryo removed from play was the same _Card From A Different Dimension_ that he had put in the sarcophagus last turn.

"Next, I summon _Proto-Cyber Dragon_ in Attack mode!" Ryo announced.

As the Kaiser played his card, a brown, more cylindrical version of _Cyber Dragon_ appears on his field. (1100/600)

"_Proto-Cyber Dragon_! Attack his _Commando_!" Ryo instructed, to which the prototype serpent complied by firing a thin laser at Kenji's monster, effectively cutting it in two and causing it to blow up into pixels. "I'll then set one card. Turn end."

Ryo's hand: 0

"My turn!" Kenji said, pulling my next card. "I summon _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played his card, his trusty _Ninja Dog_ from the duel exams appeared on the field. (300/300)

"And don't make any comment about his ATK, because his effect makes up for it! For every monster on my side of the field, _Kurojaki_ gains 500 ATK! And not only that, as long as I have one other _Ninja_ monster on my field, _Kurojaki_ can't become an attack target!" Kenji explained as his Shikoku dog's ATK increased. (300-1300/300) "Now _Kurojaki_, attack his _Cyber Larva_!"

Kenji's _Ninja Dog_ obeyed and charged ahead, knocking down the worm and biting down on its head, making the _Cyber Larva_ shatter into pixels.

"Did you forget? When _Cyber Larva_ is destroyed, I take no Battle Damage and I get to special-summon another from my deck," Ryo said as he pulled his third _Cyber Larva_ and placed in on the field.

"I didn't forget, but I do know that it's your last _Larva_! _Ninja Hattori_, attack his last _Cyber Larva_!" Kenji commanded, to which _Hattori_ charged ahead and cleaved the _Larva_ in two and destroyed it. "Now for his second attack! Attack _Proto-Cyber Dragon_!"

As _Hattori_ turned to charge at the metal serpent, Ryo pressed a button on his Duel Disk.

"Trap card activate! _Attack Reflector Unit_!" Ryo announced as the card rose, the card showing some mirror-like panels being lifted by cranes and attached to a _Cyber Dragon_. "With this card, by sacrificing a _Cyber Dragon_, I can special-summon a _Cyber Barrier Dragon_ from my hand or Deck."

"Then I'm guessing _Proto-Cyber Dragon_'s effect treats it like the original, am I right?" Kenji guessed.

"Correct," Ryo answered as his monster slowly vanished. "Rise, _Cyber Barrier Dragon_!"

As Ryo pulled the card from his deck and played it, another _Cyber Dragon_ appeared, but it looked bigger than the three Ryo had used before and it had some kind of strange collar around its neck and its tail looked like a spiked ball. (800/2800)

'_It must have an effect of some kind if he was willing to trade away a monster with more ATK points for it. Guess I'll find out,_' Kenji thought to himself. "_Hattori_, attack _Cyber Barrier Dragon_!"

As _Ninja Hattori_ jumped above Ryo's new monster, the Kaiser raised his arm.

"I activate my _Cyber Barrier Dragon_'s effect! Once per turn, so long as _Cyber Barrier Dragon_ is in Attack mode, I can negate one attack my opponent makes!" Ryo explained as his monster's collar lit up and a reflective screen appeared around it, which caused _Ninja Hattori_ to back off upon striking it.

"I still have one more monster. _Reptile_, take out his monster!" Kenji commanded, to which _Reptile_ once again threw a shuriken at _Cyber Barrier Dragon_ after spitting acid on it, allowing it to cut right through and destroy the bulky serpent.

Kenji: 1100

Ryo: 1500

"I'll then set one card and end my turn," Kenji said as a facedown card appeared behind _Ninja Hattori_.

Kenji's hand: 5

"My turn," Ryo said as he drew his next card. "And now _Card From A Different Dimension_ returns to my hand, allowing us both to draw two more cards."

As the Spell card went back to Ryo's hand, both players drew two more cards.

Ryo's hand: 4

Kenji's hand: 7

As Kenji checked the cards he drew, he spotted his ace monster, _Ninja Hayabusa_.

'_It's been a while, my old friend,_' Kenji said to his card with his mind since the last time he played the card was well before the duel exams at the Kaiba Dome.

"Now, due to the effect of _Time Fusion_, I'm able to call forth my most powerful monster!" Ryo said, drawing Kenji's attention away from his card and back to the field. "_Cyber End Dragon_!"

At the call of its name, a gigantic, three-headed version of _Cyber Dragon_ with mechanical wings appeared on the field. (4000/2800)

"Nice dragon," Kenji said with a smirk, but he was only smirking to hide his nervousness. "But thanks to your Spell card, I'll have one turn to set up a defense."

"Normally, you would," Ryo said, confusing Kenji. "But I'm going to end this duel with the cards in my hand."

"Then what are you waiting for? I'm ready for ya!" Kenji challenged the Kaiser.

"I'm sure you are. I admit you're very talented as a duelist and I'm betting you'll make it far here at Duel Academia," Ryo said before holding up a card in his hand. "I play my second _De-Fusion_ to split my monster into its three materials that lie in my Graveyard!"

As Ryo pushed the Spell card into his Graveyard slot, his Duel Disk ejected the three _Cyber Dragon_ cards into his hand and the three monster appeared on the field as Ryo played them. (2100/1600) x3

"But now it's time to call out my monster one more time. I activate the Spell card _Power Bond_!" Ryo said as he played the card, which showed someone with a welding torch trying to fix a scratch on a machine. "This card acts similar to _Polymerization_, only it's exclusive to Machine-type monsters. Not only that, but the Fusion-summoned monster's original ATK points are doubled! So I'll fuse my _Cyber Dragon_s to call back my _Cyber End Dragon_!"

Electricity sparked from Ryo's monsters and, in a flash of light, they were replaced by _Cyber End Dragon_, now stronger than ever. (4000-8000/2800) As soon as _Cyber End Dragon_ made its return, the entire crowd cheered and backed up Ryo.

"Next I play the Spell Card _Mystical Space Typhoon_ to destroy your _Spirit Barrier_!" Ryo said as he played his card, a gust of wind blowing across the field and destroying Kenji's Trap card. "Now, _Cyber End Dragon_, attack _Ninja Hattori_! **Eternal Evolution Burst!"**

"Trap card activate! _Ninja Smoke Ball_!" Kenji shouted as his facedown card rose. "With this card, I can negate one of your monsters that attacks a _Ninja_ monster on my side of the field! And with _Power Bond_'s secondary effect, your Life Points will be depleted!"

"True, that effect will cause my to lose. But only if your Trap card gets through," Ryo said as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to rise, showing a bear trap surrounded by some kind of magical seal. "Counter Trap, _Trap Jammer_! When my opponent activate a Trap card during the Battle Phase, I can activate this card to negate the activation of my opponent's Trap and destroy it!"

A magic circle appeared beneath Kenji's Trap card and it slowly dissolved off the field just as _Cyber End Dragon_'s attack struck the _Ninja_ monster dead on and destroyed him.

Kenji: 0

Ryo: 1500 (winner)

As the crowd cheered over the duel, Kenji had fallen to his knees from the last attack. But instead of being angry or upset, Kenji just started laughing.

"That was great! The best duel I've had in a while!" Kenji shouted happily.

"I agree, it was fun. And I should congratulate you on being the first in three years to ever touch my Life Points," Ryo said as he walked up to Kenji and held out his arm, which Kenji took as Ryo helped him on his feet and the two shook hands.

"Not only that, but had my Trap card worked then I would've beaten you," Kenji said.

"That's true. If you keep that up, you might even take my spot once I graduate," Ryo said.

"Then I'll do my best from now on," Kenji said as he and Ryo shook hands once more before Kenji cracked his neck. "But right now I think I'm going to check around campus."

"Then I won't keep you," Ryo said as he turned around and walked back up the stairs, the crowd making a path for the Kaiser.

'_Well what do you know, praised by the number one duelist on the island. I'll be sure to work my hardest to earn the title of Kaiser,_' Kenji thought to himself as he turned around and walked out the front doors of the Obelisk Boy's dorm.

As Kenji wandered around the campus, he managed to spot his two Osiris Red friends also going to check around.

"Hey! Sho! Judai!" Kenji called out to his friends as he ran over to them.

"Hey! It's Kenji-_kun_!" Sho shouted out.

"Hey there!" Judai greeted.

"Check out your dorm already you two?" Kenji asked.

"Sure did. And it's sweet!" Judai said, enthusiastic as always. "And what about you?"

"Yeah, and I already got settled in. I just thought I'd take a look around the campus before the welcoming party starts," Kenji answered.

"Same here. I'm actually looking around for duels," Judai said.

"Duels? I had a few not that long ago back at the Obelisk Boys dorm," Kenji said as he pointed his thumb back towards the Obelisk dorms.

"Any of them tough?" Judai asked.

"Not really. At least not to me. But there was one guy I dueled just before I got here. Really strong. I only got him just a little below the halfway point by the time he beat me," Kenji said, but had his eyes closed as he was talking and didn't notice Judai had left until Sho tugged at his sleeve. "Hm? Something wrong, Sho?"

"I don't think Big Bro heard you," Sho answered as he pointed to Judai who was running towards the main building.

"That guy can't sit still, can he? Well, let's go then," Kenji offered, to which Sho just nodded and the two of them ran after Judai.

"There are people dueling somewhere!" Kenji and Sho heard Judai yell as they chased after him.

"I can't hear anything like that at all!" Sho shouted back to Judai.

"Sho's right! Maybe you're hearing things!" Kenji called towards his friend.

However, Judai didn't listen to them and continued into the main building, making Kenji and Sho go in after him until Judai slowed down enough for them to catch up.

"Let's see… I'm pretty sure it's over here…" Judai muttered, almost like he knew a duel was taking place somewhere nearby.

"How do you know that, Big Bro?" Sho asked.

"Yeah, how can you be…" Kenji started before he stopped himself after replaying what Sho said. "Wait… "Big Bro"?"

"It's a long story," Sho said, to which Kenji shrugged and they continued to follow Judai.

The three of them continued to walk in the halls until Judai stopped at a corner and sniffed the air.

"I smell it… I smell it! That's the scent of a duel!" Judai said, getting more and more excited.

"_Scent of a duel_?" both Kenji and Sho repeated, confused by Judai's choice of words but followed him around the corner anyway.

The room that the three of them walked into was as big as a small stadium and had a large dueling platform in the center of the floor with spectator seats going around the entire room.

"Hey! Is it all right to just barge in there?" Sho shouted, worried that Judai might get into trouble.

"Whoa, awesome!" Judai said as he looked around the room.

"This Duel Field is installed with the latest equipment!" Sho said in awe as he completely saw what was in the room.

When Kenji walked in behind Sho, he also looked around but saw something just above the entrance of where they walked in.

"Uh, guys?" Kenji said, trying to get their attention as the Ninja duelist just looked at a crest of _Obelisk The Tormentor_ above the entrance. '_I don't think this was a good idea._'

"The sound equipment and virtual system are all-new versions!" Sho said in continued awe as both he and Judai ignored Kenji. "Man, am I jealous… I'd sure like to duel in a place like this."

However, there were other people in the room and Sho's admiration of the room got their attention. The two people were none other than Obelisk Blue students.

"All right! Then, let's do it!" Judai said, wanting to duel with the new system.

"Huh? I wonder if we can…" Sho said, not knowing if they were even allowed to use the room while Kenji kept trying to get their attention.

"What are you talking about? We're students here!" Judai said, trying to get Sho's confidence up.

"Which doesn't give you a reason to do so," Judai, Sho and Kenji heard someone say.

The three duelists turned their attention to two Obelisk Blue boys.

"You Osiris Red dropout boys don't belong here!" said the Obelisk student with brown spiky hair, not caring that a fellow Obelisk like Kenji was in the room. "Look above you."

Sho and Judai turned around to see the brown-haired boy was pointing at the Obelisk crest that Kenji was trying to get them to look at.

"Didn't you see the Obelisk crest?" said the other Obelisk student, who was wearing glasses.

"I tried to tell you guys," Kenji sighed to his Osiris Red friends.

"S-Sorry, we didn't know," Sho apologized. "Let's get back to our dorm, Big Bro."

"Hmm… that somehow doesn't sit well with me…" Judai said as he scratched his cheek before pointing at the two Obelisk students. "Well then, you wanna play me? That's be okay, right?"

"I thought I recognized you!" the blue-haired Obelisk with the glasses suddenly said.

"Manjoume-_san_, it's Number 110, the one who beat Professor Chronos!" the spiky-haired Obelisk called to the spectator section.

From one of the seats, an Obelisk Blue student with spiked black hair, Manjoume, sat up to see what the brown-haired boy was talking about.

"Yeah, I'm Yuki Judai. Nice to meet'cha!" Judai greeted before looking at the two Obelisk students who were standing in front of him. "So, uh… who's he?"

"You don't know who Manjoume-_san_ is?" the glasses-wearing Obelisk shouted. "He's a first-year like us, but he's Number 1 of the super elites, tried-and-true from middle school!"

'_Number 1 of the first-years?_' Kenji thought to himself as he glanced up at Manjoume. '_If I'm going to reach the title of Kaiser, then I'll have to beat him in a duel at some point._'

"He's the much-talked-about future Duel King, the great Manjoume Jun-_san_!" said the brown-haired Obelisk student.

"That's weird…" Judai said as he folded his arms, looking bored. "I mean, the Duel King is Number 1, right? And I'm this academy's Number 1, after all!"

The two Obelisk students just stared at Judai strangely and started laughing before their faces took on serious expressions.

"You dropout Osiris Reds don't know your place, do you?" the glasses-wearing Obelisk asked.

"Be quiet!" Manjoume shouted from in the stands, earning everyone's attention. "Everyone, just calm down."

"Manjoume-_san_!" the glasses-wearing Obelisk said, wondering what Manjoume was going to say.

"That's guy is better than the two of you," Manjoume flat out stated. "He's the guy who supposedly beat Professor Chronos in his entry exam duel, albeit he did it sloppily."

"That was _skill_," Judai said.

"I'd like to see this _skill_ for myself now," Manjoume challenged.

"Fine by me," Judai accepted.

'_Seems like a bit of a rivalry already. Osiris vs Obelisk. This should be interesting,_' Kenji thought to himself as he watched Manjoume and Judai stare each other down.

"Hey, what are all of you doing?" the six duelists heard a female's voice ask.

The six boys turned to see a girl with long blonde hair and golden eyes wearing a white blouse lined with blue and a blue miniskirt. The girl was none other than Tenjouin Asuka.

"Wow! She's pretty!" Sho said, speaking his mind.

"Tenjouin-_kun_!" Manjoume called to get the girl's attention. "You see, these newcomers are far too ignorant of the ways of the world… I was thinking I'd teach them a bit about how intense the academy can be."

"It's about time for the welcoming party at the dorms to start," Asuka said, whether or not she acknowledged what Manjoume said or not was uncertain.

"Let's get out of here," Manjoume grumbled to the other two Obelisk boys before the three of them walked away.

"You guys shouldn't take up dares from Manjoume-_kun_ and his group," Asuka warned Judai, Sho and Kenji. "After all, they're a lousy bunch."

"For you to take the time to tell us that…" Judai said, earning Asuka's attention before pointing to himself. "Could you have fallen in love with me at first sight?"

"Judai!" Kenji said as he smashed his fist into Judai's head. "That's not how you greet a girl, dumbass! Especially one who may have just saved you from getting expelled!"

Judai just held his head in pain, but Asuka merely laughed at them as Judai regained his composure.

"The welcoming party at Osiris Red will be starting, as well," Asuka reminded the two Osiris students.

"You're right! Let's get back to the dorms!" Judai told Sho before running down the ramp out of the room.

"W-Wait up, Big Bro!" Sho called to Judai as he ran after the taller boy while Kenji just stayed standing at the entrance near Asuka.

"Oh, right!" Judai said as he remembered something and stopped, turning around to face Asuka while running in place. "What's your name?"

"Tenjouin Asuka," Asuka introduced herself.

"I'm Yuki Judai. Nice to meet'cha!" Judai introduced himself before running off towards the Osiris Red dorm with Sho right behind him.

"That guy can be really amusing when he wants to be," Kenji said.

"You know them?" Asuka asked him.

"Yeah, they're friends of mine. Met them back at the duel exams," Kenji answered. "By the way, I'm Yuuyami Kenji."

"Nice to meet you. But you should be getting back to the Obelisk dorm as well for the welcoming party," Asuka reminded him.

"Oh, right! Guess I'll be seeing you later then!" Kenji said as he waved goodbye and ran down the halls towards the Obelisk Blue boy's dorm while Asuka went towards the girl's dorm.

* * *

The welcoming parties were different for each dorm, where the first-year students got to meet the rest of their fellow dorm students as well as their headmaster. Kenji was even a little surprised to find out the headmaster for the Obelisk Boy's dorm was Professor Chronos.

At the Obelisk dorms, both boys and girls, the welcoming parties were treated like a 5-star Hotel, with the best food and drinks affordable and even live pianists and violinists.

'_Everything is so classy. To be honest, if I knew it would be like this I would've signed up for one of the other dorms,_' Kenji thought to himself, but then the consequences popped into his head and he sweatdropped a little. '_Then again, that might not be such a good idea to tell my parents._'

* * *

At the Ra Yellow dorm, of which the building resembled a large library from the outside, the welcoming party for the Ra students wasn't exactly as classy as the one at the Obelisk Blue dorms, but it was still pretty fancy with the lobster and other rich seafood.

* * *

However… the same thing couldn't be said for the Osiris Red dorm. For their welcoming party, all the students got was a bowl of rice, a bowl of sardines and a bowl of dipping sauce.

"What's _this_!" one of the Osiris students asked, wondering exactly what they were being served.

"The other dorms had an incredibly feast!" another Osiris student shouted.

"And to make things worse, out dorm leader isn't even human!" another student shouted as they pointed to a fat tabby cat sleeping on a table at the far end of the room which got everyone else to look. "He's a cat…?"

But then, from the room behind where the cat was sleeping, a scrawny man wearing a white shirt, dark tie and glasses with dark hair walked out and waved to the students.

"I'm your dormitory leader, Daitokuji-_nya_," the man said, ending his sentence with a meow. "And in class, I'll be in charge of alchemy. Pleased to meet you all-_nya_."

"Delicious!" Judai's voice rang out, earning everyone's attention as he wolfed down his food.

"T-That's tasteless, Big Bro," Sho said as Judai was eating from the bowl of rice.

"Really? It's awfully delicious to me!" Judai said.

"T-That's not what I meant…" Sho tried to rephrase what he said earlier as the Osiris dorm leader made his way to their table. "The Professor's still introducing himself…"

"A matter so small doesn't bother me-_nya_!" Professor Daitokuji said as both Sho and Judai looked up at him, Judai sweatdropping at the thought he might be in trouble. "Well, everyone, it will be a pleasure working with you all-_nya_."

The rest of the welcoming party went off without a hitch, especially at the Osiris Red dorm after Judai's outburst.

* * *

At the Obelisk dorm, Kenji was just resting in his bed, trying to get comfortable to the dorm's atmosphere.

'_This place isn't so bad,_' Kenji thought to himself as images of Judai, Sho, Misawa and Ryo appeared in his head. '_I've already made some friends here and I'm sure at least Judai will make things interesting with his enthusiasm._'

Then an image of Manjoume appeared in his head from when Kenji and his two Osiris friends ran into the so-called Number 1 first-year and his buddies.

'_It's obvious neither he nor those two like anyone from Osiris Red. There's a chance they won't like anyone from Ra Yellow either. But if what those two said is true, and Manjoume really is the Number 1 first-year, then I'll definitely have to duel him,_' Kenji continued to think as an image of Asuka appeared in his head as well. '_And that girl, Asuka. It seems like she doesn't hold any spite towards the other dorms. Who knows, maybe she'll be a future friend._'

* * *

Meanwhile, at the lighthouse near the docks, Ryo and Asuka were having a little conversation.

"Looks like we have some amusing new students this year," Ryo said.

"Yeah, you're right. Did you meet with any of them?" Asuka asked.

"A few. But there's definitely one that I won't forget," Ryo said, to which Asuka tilted her head in confusion. "His name's Yuuyami Kenji. Believe it or not, he almost beat me in a duel."

"He almost _beat_ you? That's hard to believe," Asuka gasped. "Wait, you said his name is Yuuyami Kenji? I met him earlier today."

"You did?" Ryo asked, to which Asuka nodded.

"He was at the dueling room with two students from Osiris Red. I had to step in to stop them from fighting with Manjoume-_kun_," Asuka answered. "And one of them, Yuki Judai, is really going to make things interesting around here."

Ryo just looked into the distance as though he had something on his mind.

* * *

At the Osiris Red dorm, Judai and Sho went back to their room where Judai just sat against the wall, patting his full stomach as Sho made some tea for himself, Judai and Hayato.

"Man, am I full!" Judai said happily. "I'm stuffed. Why didn't you eat all of yours?"

"You were the only one who got a second helping, huh?" Sho said as he picked up the tray with the tea cups and carried it over for Judai to take one.

"It was really good," Judai said, probably daydreaming a little that he could've had more as he took one of the cups. "Thank you!"

"Hayato-_kun_! Tea?" Sho offered his chubby roommate.

"I don't want any," Hayato said.

"Oh, okay…"

"And why not? Sho went to all that trouble to brew it up and everything!" Judai berated his koala-looking roommate.

"It's okay, Big Bro," Sho said.

"It's not that he's a bad cook or anything," Hayato said while still covered in blankets. "I'm depressed about our predicament, so I haven't been able to swallow a bite a food."

But as soon as Hayato finished his sentence, Judai's Personal Planner started to ring, signifying a new message. Judai pulled out the device and turned it on, an image of Manjoume's face on the screen.

"Hey, Dropout Boy," the recorded message read. "I'll be waiting on the Duel Field at twelve midnight. We'll duel with the Ante Rule, with both our best cards at stake. Come, if you've got the guts…"

Judai merely chuckled at the message.

"Things have finally gotten interesting!" Judai said, getting more and more eager to duel against Manjoume.

"That pep of his ends here…" Hayato muttered to himself.

* * *

While Sho and Judai left the Osiris Red dorm to head for the Duel Field, Kenji was getting some shut eye until his eyes darted open and he glared at the ceiling.

"_Poyo, poyo…_" Kenji heard a voice squeak, causing him to sit up, grab his deck holder and search through it until he pulled out a card.

The card was a monster card, with the monster being pretty much a round pink ball wearing a ninja-type hat and carrying a kunai in his stubby hands.

'_You sense something too, _Kaabii_?_' Kenji asked his card with his thoughts.

From out of the card, a transparent version of the monster in the picture popped out, only it wasn't wearing the hat nor did it carry it weapon.

"_Poyo!_" the ball-like monster said in a worried tone.

"Yeah, something's up. So then, what do you say we check it out?" Kenji asked his Duel Spirit.

"_Poyo! Poyo!_" _Kaabii_ said happy as it bounced on the air before disappearing back into its card.

Kenji got out of his bed, put his blazer on (as he was just sleeping in his shirt and pants) and grabbed his deck as he quietly snuck out of the dorm and instinctively headed towards the Duel Field in the main building.

* * *

"Big Bro, Asuka-_san_ said we shouldn't deal with them!" Sho begged Judai as the two of them continued to the Duel Field.

"What are you talking about? It's a duel!" Judai said, trying to assure Sho that nothing bad was going to happen. "A man takes up a challenge if he's posed with one."

As the two Osiris students made their way to the Duel Field's entrance ramp, they spotted a familiar Obelisk Blue student.

"Hey! Kenji!" Judai called out, to which Kenji turned to face them.

"Oh, hey Judai-_kun_. Sho-_kun_," Kenji greeted his friends. "What are you two doing here?"

"Big Bro was challenged to a duel by Manjoume," Sho answered.

"Didn't Asuka-_san_ say to stay away from him?" Kenji asked the taller Osiris.

"That's what I've been trying to tell him," Sho said.

"What's the big deal? It's just a duel," Judai shrugged.

"Yeah, with your best card at stake," Sho added in.

"You're having an Ante Duel? Those can get you expelled," Kenji warned Judai, who only shrugged.

"And what are you doing here anyway?" Judai asked.

"Uh… J-Just wandering around. Didn't get to see much of the campus because of last time," Kenji answered.

"Right…" Judai said, not completely sure if he was telling the truth or not. "Anyway, since you're here why don't you watch the duel?"

"Alright, if only to drag your ass out of the fire in case something goes wrong," Kenji sighed and the three of them walked into the Duel Field room to see Manjoume and his two buddies standing on the dueling platform.

"How good of you to come, Number 110!" Manjoume greeted, but then noticed Kenji. "And what's a fellow Obelisk doing with these two dropouts?"

"These "dropouts", as you so _kindly_ put it, happen to be friends of mine," Kenji answered, causing Manjoume to scoff.

"Whatever. So then, Number 110, are you ready to duel?" Manjoume challenged Judai.

"More than ready," Judai answered as he raised his Duel Disk, which was already attached to his arm, before making his way to the dueling platform while Sho and Kenji stood by and watched along with Manjoume's two buddies.

"You're going to show me either the dumb luck or the skill that beat Professor Chronos!" Manjoume stated.

"Right! And I've wanted to know just how skilled the elites of the Duel Academia are," Judai said, causing Manjoume to laugh.

"Listen up! We'll be using the Ante Rule, putting both our best cards at stake."

"Sure! I'm ready for anything!"

Both duelists activated their Duel Disks and shuffled their decks.

"Duel!"

Judai: 4000

Manjoume: 4000

Both duelists then drew their first five cards.

"It's my turn first!" Manjoume declared as he drew his sixth card and looked at what he drew along with what was in his hand. "I summon _Reborn Zombie_ in Defense mode!"

As Manjoume played his card, a monster whose body was mostly decaying flesh, with only his left arm and left leg revealing bones and wearing tattered green clothes, appeared on the field kneeling down. (1000/1600)

"I place a card face-down and end my turn," Manjoume said as a card appeared behind _Reborn Zombie_. '_Duels contain the element of luck as long as there's drawing. However, what decides a match is a strategy based on careful calculations._' "Obelisk Blue against Osiris Red… The difference in our intellect has already determined the outcome of this!"

Manjoume's hand: 4

"You can't play a duel in your head! My blazing heart will take you on!" Judai argued as he pulled his sixth card. "It's my turn. Draw!"

Judai checked the card he drew as well as the cards in his hand when he suddenly spotted a more-than-familiar card already in his hand.

"Oh, Partner!" Judai said as he spotted _Winged Kuriboh_. "With lucky old you by my side, I've got nothing to fear!"

'_Partner?_' Kenji thought to himself, having heard Judai call one of his cards his Partner. '_Could Judai-_kun _also have a Spirit?_'

"I activate the Spell card, _Polymerization_!" Judai played the card from his hand, a shocked expression on Manjoume's face. "I fuse together _Elemental Hero Avian_ and _Burstinatrix_…"

As Judai called their names, his two monsters appeared on the field as energy swirled around them, creating a blinding light that engulfed them.

"…to summon _Elemental Hero Flame Wingman_ in Attack mode!" Judai announced as the Fusion monster that defeated Chronos during the exam duel made his return. (2100/1200) "All right! This is my favorite card!"

"I've caught you already, it seems," Manjoume said, confusing Judai.

"What?"

"I have thoroughly analyzed your entry exam duel. Duels are all about brains!" Manjoume said as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk, causing his face-down card to rise. "I activate the Trap card, _Hell Polymer_!"

As the card stood straight, it showed a monster being engulfed by flames. The card's hologram was then surrounded by a dark energy.

"_Hell Polymer_…?" Sho repeated.

"It's basic knowledge to a duelist," Kenji and Sho heard someone say behind them and turned around the see…

"A-Asuka-_san_," Sho said.

"Asuka-_san_? What are you doing here?" Kenji asked.

"I just figured Manjoume-_kun_ would pull a stunt like this," Asuka answered before turning her attention to Kenji. "And I hear you nearly beat Kaiser, Kenji-_kun_."

"Eh? You almost beat my Big Brother?" Sho asked in shock, surprisingly not drawing Judai's or Manjoume's attention.

"Ryo-_san_ is your Big Brother?" Kenji asked Sho, to which the little Osiris nodded but looked away as if something pained him, so Kenji didn't push on the subject. "And where did you hear this, Asuka-_san_?"

"Ryo told me himself," Asuka answered.

"I see," Kenji said before turning back to the duel. "So what was it you were going to say earlier?"

"Right," Asuka said, turning her attention to the duel as Sho also looked on. "When your opponent summons a Fusion Monster, you can gain control of that monster by sacrificing one monster on your field."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Sho asked.

"That means Manjoume's going to sacrifice his _Reborn Zombie_ to take control of Judai's _Flame Wingman_," Kenji answered.

"I sacrifice _Reborn Zombie_ to gain control of _Flame Wingman_!" Manjoume said, exactly as Kenji had predicted.

In a sudden flash, _Reborn Zombie_ vanished from the field as Judai's _Flame Wingman_ started to glow.

"_Flame Wingman_!" Judai shouted.

Judai's monster was then pulled into Manjoume's Trap card, causing both to disappear. Though _Flame Wingman_ reappeared seconds later, it was surrounded by a dark aura as its white wing was now pitch black and an evil look filled its eyes.

"His monster got taken!" Sho shouted in shock.

"I knew that a Fusion Monster finished Professor Chronos off in your battle with him, so I had that Trap set. I can't believe that you'd step your way right into my Trap, without even knowing that. You're a typical Osiris Red," Manjoume said with a chuckle.

"A fusion-summon's a special-summon, so I can still normal-summon this turn," Judai said as he checked the cards in his hand. '_But I don't have any monsters in my hand with the ATK or DEF to overcome _Flame Wingman_. Guess I'll tide things over with a defensive monster…_'

'Flame Wingman_ is a monster that deals damage equal to the ATK of the monster it destroys. Whatever he does, he can't go unscathed next turn!_' Manjoume thought to himself with a grin on his face.

I summon _Elemental Hero Clayman_ in Defense mode!" Judai said as he played his card, summoning a monster with a body made of stone that knelt down in a defensive stance. (800/2000) "I end my turn."

Judai's hand: 2

"I draw my card!" Manjoume shouted as he pulled his next card. "I summon _Hell Soldier_!"

As Manjoume played his card, a humanoid monster wearing demonic armor and a large sword appeared on the field. (1200/1400)

"Go, _Flame Wingman_!" Manjoume ordered as the possessed monster jumped into the air and charged energy before igniting on fire. "**Flame Shoot!**"

At the call of its attack, the possessed _Flame Wingman_ dove down at Judai's _Clayman_ and destroyed it.

"Due to _Flame Wingman_'s Monster effect, the ATK of the destroyed opposing monster is dealt as damage to the opposing player!" Manjoue recited _Flame Wingman_'s effect to its original owner.

Judai was just shocked as _Flame Wingman_ stood in front of him and raised its dragon arm before blasting Judai with a torrent of flames.

Judai: 3200

Manjoume: 4000

"You don't have a single monster left to defend you! _Hell Soldier_! **Hell Attack!**" Manjoume commanded, to which his _Soldier_ was more than happy to carry out as it lunged at Judai once _Flame Wingman_ moved out of the way and struck Judai with its sword, causing the Osiris student to fall to his knees and clutch his chest.

Judai: 2000

Manjoume: 4000

"By putting a stop to your Fusion Monsters, you're already out of options, it seems! I didn't know how you were in your small town, but you're not at the level you need to make it in the Duel Academia!" Manjoume shouted, already claiming victory. "Got that yet!"

A card then appeared behind Manjoume's _Hell Soldier_.

"I set a card on the field, ending my turn!" Manjoume declared. "Now, it's your turn!"

Manjoume's hand: 4

From where Manjoume was standing, he thought he could hear Judai crying.

"Shedding tears of regret, are we, Number 110?" Manjoume taunted.

But soon Judai's laughter filled the entire room as he got back to his feet.

"I'm touched!" Judai said ecstatically.

"What…?" Manjoume asked, wondering why Judai was having such a fun time.

"The Duel Academia sure is fun! There's a bunch of guys like you around here, aren't there? This is going to be great!" Judai said.

"What was that?" Manjoume asked, completely confused by Judai's actions.

"It's my turn! Draw!" Judai said as he pulled his next card. "I summon _Elemental Hero Sparkman_!"

As Judai played his card, a man wearing a blue body suit with gold armor and a helmet appeared in a burst of electricity. (1600/1400)

"Go, _Sparkman_! **Spark Flash!**" Judai shouted, directing the attack towards Manjoume's _Hell Soldier_.

As _Sparkman_'s attack was called, the monster struck out its right arm and fired a blast of lightning at the armored warrior, completely destroying him.

But from out of the smoke, _Hell Soldier_'s sword flew upward and pointed itself at Judai before launching itself at the Osiris student, dropping both of their Life Points by 400 .

Judai: 1600

Manjoume: 3600

"Its Monster effect activates! _Hell Soldier_ has an effect that deals the same damage its player took to the opposing player when it's destroyed!" Manjoume explained as he sent the card to his Graveyard.

"Big Bro!" Sho called out, worried for Judai.

"Your "Big Bro" is mighty spirited, but pretty careless. To just disregard a Monster effect like that…" Asuka said.

"Nah. Judai was like this back during the duel exam against Professor Chronos. Remember those _Wicked Token_s? Judai had no idea that Chronos was setting them as decoys before destroying them and then using them as sacrifices for that _Ancient Gear Golem_," Kenji said.

"That's true…" Asuka said as she remembered back to the event.

"I place a card face-down and end my turn," Judai said as he slide a card into his Duel Disk.

Judai's hand: 1

"I'm sure to win with my next attack! I draw my card!" Manjoume said as he pulled his next card. "Go! _Flame Wingman_! Use your Flame Shoot on his _Sparkman_!"

"I activate a Trap card!" Judai called out just as _Flame Wingman_ ignited, his facedown card rising. "_Mirror Gate_!"

The image on the card looked like a spiraling tunnel of mirrors.

"What?" Manjoume shouted in shock.

"_Mirror Gate_?" Sho wondered.

"It's a Trap card that can only be used if your opponent targets an _Elemental Hero_ monster on your side of the field. It switches the _Elemental Hero_ with your opponent's monster and the fight continues. So that means Judai will regain control of _Flame Wingman_," Kenji explained.

_Flame Wingman_ and _Sparkman_ were surrounded by light before instantly switching places, _Flame Wingman_ now surrounded by a flaming aura and _Sparkman_ surrounded by the dark aura that was once wrapped around the Fusion monster. Both monsters jumped into the air and a power struggle ensued.

"**Sparkling Breaker!**" Judai shouted the attack.

As _Sparkman_ tried to send electric currents into _Flame Wingman_'s body, the Fusion Monster tightened its grip, causing the electricity to flow back into _Sparkman_, causing an overload and destroying the electric hero.

Judai: 1600

Manjoume: 3100

"Next up, due to _Flame Wingman_'s Monster effect, the ATK of the destroyed opposing monster is dealt as damage to my opponent!" Judai stated as the left over electricity was shot from _Flame Wingman_'s hand straight at Manjoume.

Judai: 1600

Manjoume: 1500

"That's my Big Bro for you!" Sho cheered.

"He's pretty good, huh?" Asuka said.

"Yeah, this guy is full of surprises," Kenji chuckled.

"You're so cool, Big Bro!" SHo continued to cheer, to which Judai shot a victory sign to Sho, Kenji and Asuka.

"What a cut-up…" Asuka laughed a little.

"Why, you…" Manjoue said, starting to get mad. "Don't get too ahead of yourself there, your freaking Osiris Red dropout!"

Manjoume then grabbed a card from his hand.

"I activate the Spell card, _Hell Blast_!" Manjoume said. "During the turn in which a monster under my control is destroyed, it destroys one monster on the field, dealing damage equal to half that monster's ATK!"

A swirling gust of wind appeared at the center of the field and surrounded _Flame Wingman_ before destroying the monster.

"_Flame Wingman_…!" Judai called out to his destroyed monster as his Life Points fell.

Judai: 550

Manjoume: 1500

"Next, I activate the Trap card, _Call Of The Haunted_!" Manjoume announced as the face-down card rose. "This card selects a Monster card from my Graveyard and special-summons it in Attack mode. And I'll special-summon _Hell Soldier_!"

At the call of its name, the armor-clad warrior reappeared on Manjoume's field.

"Then, I sacrifice _Hell Soldier_," Manjoume said, his warrior disappearing from the field. "To summon _Hell General Mephisto_!"

The new monster that appeared wore heavy dark armor and sat atop a horse wearing armor of the same type. In the monster's hand was a long staff with an axe at the end. (1800/1700)

"One way or the other, it appears I've clinch my win!" Manjoume said, claiming victory. "And according to the Ante Rule, I'll take your best card!"

"We'll see about that," Judai scoffed.

"What?" Manjoume asked, but then figure Judai was losing it. "A duel is determined with 99% intelligence, with luck playing its part a mere 1%."

"_Kuri kuri!_" Judai heard a voice say and looked at his _Winged Kuriboh_ card, but he wasn't the only one who heard it as Kenji spotted the card in the Osiris' hand.

'_So that's his Spirit, a _Winged Kuriboh_,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"Yeah, I know, Partner!" Judai said to his card, to which _Winged Kuriboh_ winked at him. "I'll risk it all on that 1%! My draw will call out a miracle! My turn. Draw!"

Judai pulled his next card and grinned as he looked at it.

'_All right!_' Judai thought to himself, seeing victory in his grasp.

However, Asuka and Kenji heard footstep approaching from out in the halls.

"Better hurry it up, guys!" Kenji shouted to the duelists.

"The security guards are coming!" Asuka said, to which the holograms shut off. "With the Ante Rule being forbidden by school regulations, and using a facility after hours, you could get expelled for breaking regulations!"

'_I figured something was up!_' Kenji thought to himself as he shot a glance at Manjoume and growled a little that Manjoume would trick them like this.

"Huh? There are school regulations like that?" Judai asked, completely oblivious to the school rules.

"Didn't you read your Student Personal Planner?" Asuka asked as she pulled out the little device all the first-years were handed out.

Manjoume's face then turn slightly red, having _just_ seen Asuka.

'_Asuka-_san_ had been watching my duel?_' Manjoume thought to himself.

"Manjoume-_san_, this is bad!" said the Obelisk student wearing glasses.

"That's enough for tonight. I'll take care of _my_ win," Manjoume said as he turned to leave.

"The match isn't over yet!" Judai argued.

"That's plenty. You've shown me how capable you are," Manjoume said as he jumped off the platform. "Apparently, your entry exam was just dumb luck."

"Quit messing around!" Judai shouted after Manjoume as he and the other two Obelisk students walked out of the room.

"Big Bro, they're gonna find us!" Sho shouted, causing Judai turn face the three people who watched the duel.

"Come on, this way!" Asuka said, turning to lead the way out.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Sho said, trying to rush Judai.

"No! I won't move from this spooot!" Judai shouted as he folded his arms, trying to be stubborn.

"Big Bro!" Sho shouted.

"That's it!" Kenji said, getting annoyed as he jumped onto the dueling platform, grabbed Judai by the collar of his blazer, and dragged him out of the room with all his strength as Asuka led the way out and Sho trailing behind.

With Asuka's escape route, the four of them managed to evade the campus security and were now standing outside the front doors of the main building as Kenji let go of Judai's blazer.

"For crying out loud, you're quite the hassle, aren't you?" Asuka asked the Osiris student.

"Not to mention stubborn," Kenji added in.

"Tch, I don't need your opinions..." Judai said.

"Thank you, Asuka-_san_," Sho said to the Obelisk girl.

"Yeah, thanks for showing us a quick way out," Kenji thanked as well.

"Sure thing. So how did that harsh ordeal from Obelisk Blue feel?" Asuka asked Judai.

"Okay, I guess. But I thought I could've gone on a little longer," Judai stated.

"Is that so?" Asuka asked, not sure if she could believe him, causing Judai to turn and face her. "If no one had interfered, you would have lost your most important card due to the Ante Rule right around now, right?"

"Nope, I had that duel won," Judai said, completely sure of himself as he held up the card he had drawn just before the interruption, revealing it to have been _Monster Reborn_ and causing Asuka to gasp as all four of hem picture how the duel would end.

Judai would've used _Monster Reborn_ to revive _Elemental Hero Flame Wingman_ (2100/1200) and destroy Manjoume's _Hell General Mephisto_ (1800/1700). And with _Flame Wingman_'s effect, Manjoume would've lost the duel.

"Not bad, Judai. Shame it was canceled then," Kenji said with a impressed whistle.

Judai only grinned as he turned and headed towards the Osiris Red dorm.

"Big Bro!" Sho shouted after Judai, following him close behind.

"He's definitely an interesting one, wouldn't you say?" Kenji asked.

"Looks like it," Asuka answered.

"Well, I think I'll head back to the dorm before I get in trouble. See ya," Kenji said as he walked off towards the Obelisk Blue boy's dorm and Asuka went towards the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm.

* * *

**A/N: And there's the chapter! On another note, the _Death Koala_ mentioned is called _DES Koala_ in the English version while the cards _Hell Polymer_, _Hell Soldier_, _Hell Blast_ and _Hell General Mephisto_ are, in English, named _Chthonian Polymer_, _Chthonian Soldier_, _Chthonian Blast_ and _Mefist The Infernal General_ respectively. Also, the actual card of _Hell Blast_ (or _Chthonian Blast_, which ever you prefer to call it) is a Trap card. Since the anime used it as a Spell/Magic card, I had to do the same for the chapter.**

**Also, the card _Cross-Counter Trap_ is a Trap card that had only been used in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga (I'm not sure what volume, but Duelist Of Dawn lists a bit more on it in his chapter dedication to Kenji).**

**And last note, I'm not trying to make Kenji seem like he's the best. I only put him in Obelisk Blue (aside from the fact he's an Obelisk Blue in Duelist Of Dawn's story) because blue is my favorite color and I prefer it over red or yellow or any other color.**

**Next: A false letter gets Sho into trouble with the girls of the Obelisk Girl's Dorm and is used as bait to lure Judai into a duel with Asuka! Also, Kenji meets a new friend from the Ra Yellow dorm. Will Sho and Judai be expelled? And will they meet this new friend of Kenji's? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Please R&R, everyone!**


	3. Misguided Affection

**A/N: Hey everyone, it's time for another chapter of Duel Academia Legends! This time we meet a new OC that was created by a friend of mine after she made her request through MSN and I figured I'd need at least one other OC aside from Kenji.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Yu-Gi-Oh! series! I DO, however, own Yuuyami Kenji and introducing Sumoi Hideko, who is owned by Moroko-chan (that's her account name on here).**

**

* * *

Turn 3: Misguided Affection**

Today was the first day of classes at Duel Academia and all the students were ready to learn. Currently for the first-year students, Professor Chronos was teaching a class on the basics of Duel Monsters and had just asked Tenjouin Asuka a question on the guidelines for each type of card.

"Among Duel Monsters cards, there are Monster cards, Fusion Monster cards, Ritual Monster cards, Effect Monster cards, and Trap and Spell cards," Asuka answered while standing up from her seat. "Next, Trap cards can be split into Normal Traps, Counter Traps, and Continuous Traps and Spell cards into Normal Spell, Continuous Spell, Equip Spell, Quick-Play Spell, Ritual Spell, and Field Spell."

"_Bellissimo!_ A superb job!" Professor Chronos congratulated. "It was a task far too simple for Obelisk Blue's Signora Asuka, was it not?"

"It's just the basics," Asuka said as she sat back down.

"Now then…" Professor Chronos mused as he looked around the class for someone else to answer a question, or in this case a victim as he spotted Sho. "Signore Marufuji!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Sho said as he stood at attention.

"Please explain to us what a Field Spell does," Chronos asked the short Osiris student.

"Um… Fi-Field… Spells are… well… err… um…" Sho stumbled, probably from having everyone looking at him, but among the on-lookers was a female Ra Yellow student with long black hair who looked at Sho not out of expectations for him to answer the question, but rather out of sympathy.

'_Poor little guy. He must have a case of stage fright,_' the girl thought to herself as Sho fumbled around, trying to find the right words of answer Chronos' question.

"Even a kindergartener knows something like that!" an Obelisk Blue student shouted, causing most of the Obelisk students to laugh at the blue-haired Osiris student as Sho's face slowly turned red from embarrassment.

Even some of the Ra Yellow students were laughing at Sho's predicament.

"Don't worry. Just calm down, Sho," Judai said, trying to calm down his short friend.

"Very well, then. You may step back," Chronos told Sho, thinking he'd gotten the Osiris student embarrassed enough as Sho sat back down while Chronos shook his head in disappointment. "To think that you were unable to answer the very basics among basics! Well done, Osiris Red. You've shocked me…"

This cause all the Obelisk Blue students, with the exception of Asuka and Kenji, as well as half the Ra Yellow students, to laugh at Sho.

"I know what it is, but I just had stage fright…" Sho mumbled to himself, not knowing Judai had heard him.

"But Professor, knowledge and actual combat are two unrelated matters, aren't they?" Judai asked, shocking Chronos. "I mean, I'm one of the Osiris Red, as well, but I beat you in a duel, Professor!"

Professor Chronos had taken out a handkerchief and started to pull it with his teeth as he held it with his hands out of embarrassment while all the Osiris Red students and even the Ra Yellow students laughed at the teacher as Judai flashed a victory sign.

'_You are one crafty guy, Judai,_' Kenji thought to himself with a smirk on his face as he leaned back in his seat as Asuka had a little smile on her face to hold back a laugh of her own.

'_That guy sure is witty, that's for sure,_' the black-haired Ra Yellow girl thought to herself as she laughed with the rest of her fellow Ra's.

Feeling embarrassed, Professor Chronos let the class go early and when the next bell rung, the first-year students went to their next class, which was alchemy with Professor Daitokuji of the Osiris Red dorm. Once everyone took their seats, Daitokuji started his lesson for the day.

"Well, alchemy is literally creating metal, particularly gold, from items without metal, but, in a broad sense of the word, it's a skill where you attempt to transform and shape ordinary substances into complete substances-_nya_," Daitokuji explained to the class as he was petting a cat.

However, Judai was slowly starting to fall asleep as he let out a yawn.

"Big Bro, thanks for earlier," SHo said to the taller Osiris.

"Originally starting in Ancient Egypt, passing through Arabia, and introduced to Europe…" Daitokuji continued until he noticed Sho and Judai talking to each other.

"Huh? Thanks for what?" Judai asked as he and Sho ignored what Professor Daitokuji was saying.

" "What"? You know…" Sho started, trying to get Judai to remember back to Professor Chronos' class when Judai helped out, but Judai noticed the Professor had his eyes on the two of them.

"Shh. If you keep chattering, you're going to get it from the teacher again, Sho," Judai whispered.

"Marufuji-_kun_," Professor Daitokuji called out, earning the attention of both Sho and Judai and causing Sho to stand up.

"Y-Yes, sir!" Sho said, standing at attention.

"Can you fetch Pharaoh for me?" Daitokuji asked.

"P-Pharaoh…?" Sho wondered.

"My cat-_nya_," Daitokuji answered with a smile on his face.

Sho just stood there until he felt something brush against his leg and heard a meow, causing everyone to look at the blue-haired Osiris as he looked down to see a fat tabby cat. The same cat that was sleeping on the table at the Osiris welcoming party. Sho picked up and carried him back over to Professor Daitokuji before return to his seat and sulking from embarrassment as this time just about the entire class laughed at Sho, even most of his fellow Osiris.

* * *

At the same time, Chronos de Medici was sitting in his office writing a letter.

'_Why that dropout boy… how dare he embarrass me like that!_' Chronos shouted in his head as he wrote. '_If he thinks I'm leaving it at that, he is surely mistaken!_'

Once Chronos finished writing, he put the feather pen in an inkbottle, folding the letter and put it in an envelope. The Professor then grabbed a hand mirror and applied red lipstick to his lips (crazy bastard, isn't he)

'_Melanzane… Melanzane…_' Chronos let his mind go as he applied the lipstick before grabbing the envelope again and quite literally sealed it with a kiss. "That should do it."

* * *

Not long after, once Professor Daitokuji's class ended, the first-years were off to thei gym class, which was instructed by the dorm leader of the Obelisk Blue Girl's Dorm. Everyone had changed into their gym gear and stood in the gymnasiam. Well, everyone by Sho that is.

"Man, what's Sho doing?" Judai asked himself as he let his eyes wander, looking for his short friend.

* * *

Professor Chronos snuck his way into the boy's locker room.

"Gently, now…" Chronos whispered to himself before he started opening lockers. "Where could that dropout boy's shoes be? Where could they…"

As Chronos was opening lockers, looking at the bottom of each for shoes, he finally found Judai's.

"Ah, here they are," Chronos said, silently congratulating himself as he placed the envelope on top of Judai's shoes and grinned to himself at a job well done.

* * *

As Judai still wondered where Sho had gone off to, the gym instructor finally showed up, wearing the same jumpsuit as everyone else.

"Hello, everyone. I am Ayukawa Emi, and as of today, I will be teaching you health and physical education," the dorm leader of the Obelisk Girl's Dorm introduced herself. "Pleased to meet you all."

* * *

In the locker room, Sho came skidding to a stop as he sped to his locker.

"Oh, no! Class started!" Sho shouted to himself for being late as he hurried to his locker while trying to take off his shoe.

As Sho opened his locker and knelt down to put his shoes away, he noticed someone else's shoes already in there. Judai's shoes.

"Man, come on, Big Bro… you got things mixed up…" Sho muttered to himself and reached for the shoes to pull them out. "This is _my_ locker, you know…"

However, as Sho moved the shoes, the letter that Professor Chronos placed (which Sho didn't see somehow) fell to the floor. Sho then spotted the letter and picked it up, noticing the lipstick on it.

"Huh?! Could this be…?!" Sho gasped, thinking of the possibilities.

The blue-haired Osiris student looked around to make sure he was the only one there. When he didn't see anyone, he snuck into a space between two lockers and opened the envelope, taking out the letter.

" "I've liked you ever since we first met. I'll wait for you behind the girls' dorm tonight. --Tenjouin Asuka"…" Sho read the letter before freaking out and falling back on the floor. "I-I got a love letter from Asuka-_san_…"

Sho then began to daydream about the Obelisk girl.

'_I'm so happy…_' Sho thought to himself with a big smile on his face.

* * *

Later that night, after gym class, Judai returned to his dorm room, still wearing his jumpsuit and a towel over his head.

"Hey, Sho, you'd better go take a bath. No one's--" Judai started as he walked into his room.

"Sho ain't here," Hayato said, cutting off Judai's sentence.

"Huh?"

"What? Didn't you both go down to the bathhouse?" Hayato asked, thinking Sho had been with Judai.

"We didn't go together," Judai answered as he sat at the edge of his bed. "Where did he go?"

* * *

While Judai had returned to his room, over at the Obelisk Boys' Dorm, Kenji had changed out of his gym clothes and back into his blazer.

"I think I'll take a walk around campus before I head for bed," Kenji said to himself as he walked out of his room, out of the dorm, and just started walking wherever his feet took him.

* * *

At the same time, Sho had managed to get a rowboat and was currently using it to get across the lake towards the Obelisk Girls' Dorm.

"Asuka-_san_! I'm on my way!" Sho shouted happily to no one in particular.

At the Obelisk Girls' Dorm, someone wearing a black, skin-tight leotard was attempting to cut the chains to the gate. It was none other than Professor Chronos. Eventually the Professor was able to cut through the chains, letting the lock fall to the ground as he opened the gate and snuck in, diving from bush to bush to stay hidden until he was near the bathhouse.

Inside the bathhouse, Asuka was sharing a conversation with her two friends, Makita Junko, a girl with brown hair, and Hamaguchi Momoe, a girl with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Your awesome figure really makes me jealous, Asuka-san!" Momoe said.

"Stop staring at me so much. It's embarrassing…" Asuka said as she sunk a little more into the bath water.

"My, looks like your breasts have gotten bigger, Momoe!" Junko said teasingly.

"Geez, Junko-san! What are you touching?!" Momoe shouted as she tried to swim away from Junko.

"This is exactly behind the girls' dorm's bathhouse!" Professor Chronos said to himself as he hid behind the bushes outside the dorm and started to imagine what would happen once Judai shows up. "I'll see that dropout boy as he blindly arrives here, unbeknownst to that! And if I get a quick snap…"

In Chronos' imagination, Judai casually walked past the gate, unknowingly standing a few feet in front of where Professor Chronos was hiding. A few seconds later, without being seen, Chronos takes a picture of Judai, making him look like a peeping tom.

"If I get him in a picture, then it will be irrefutable proof of that pervert boy peeping into the ladies' bath to anyone's eye!" Chronos said to himself as he held a camera in his hands, ready to take a picture at the right moment. "And then, that dropout boy will be expelled, resulting in his farewell from this academy! _Adios!_ That's Spanish… _Ciao!_"

However, what Professor Chronos didn't know was that Judai didn't get the letter. Rather it was Sho, who at the very moment was docking the rowboat before getting out of it and running through the gate.

* * *

Inside the bathhouse, Asuka, Junko and Momoe were continuing their conversation.

"Anyway, it looks like none of the boys who enrolled this year are any good," Momoe whined.

"Especially that Yuki Judai! He's noisy, crass, and cocky!" Junko added. "Right, Asuka-_san_?"

"I don't really care about him," Asuka said as she washed her face with a towel before turning her back to her friends.

"Hey, Asuka-_san_!" Junko shouted to try and get her friend's attention.

"That Misawa from Ra Yellow is quite the man, isn't he?" Momoe said, trying to change the subject, if only a little.

* * *

'_O sole mio… O sole mio… O sole mio… O sole…?_' Chronos chanted in his head as he lay in the bush, waiting for Judai to show up until he heard approaching footsteps, causing him to peek through the leaves. "So, he's arrived. That dropout boy is flying right into the flame."

"Should be around here…" Sho said as he looked around the area, coming into Professor Chronos' view.

"What is this?! Why is it Signore Marufuji?!" Chronos shouted as he freaked out that his trap had failed.

However, a girl walked out of the bathhouse in her pajamas, having heard someone shout.

"Who's there?" the Obelisk girl asked.

"Oh, no!" Chronos said, having been caught.

"A peeping tom!" another girl shouted, also in her pajamas, as more girls showed up to see who it was.

"Pervert!" the girls shouted as Chronos covered his face.

"Y-You can't be serious! If this keeps up, I'll be the one who's expelled!" Chronos berated himself before turning around to run away, only to slip fall into the lake.

However, Sho wasn't so lucky as a crowd of girls ran over to him and surrounded the little guy before pulling his arms behind his back and pushing him to his knees.

"Ow, ow, ow… What's the…?" Sho asked, completely oblivious to what was going on as he looked up to see Junko and Momoe standing in front of him wrap in towels.

"There's no place left to run, you pervert," Junko accused the little Osiris.

Sho couldn't believe his ears, being called a pervert when he didn't do anything wrong, at least not to his knowledge. Of course, it didn't stop the girls from tying up Sho's hands and dragging him into the girls' dorm after all the girls got their pajamas on. And after Sho explained the situation…

"Wait, a love letter from our Asuka, you say?" Momoe asked.

"Yes. Right?" Sho said innocently as he winked at Asuka, who was wearing her blouse and miniskirt.

"What a dope," Junko said. "There's no way that Asuka, the Queen of Obelisk Blue, would write a love letter to an Osiris Red like you!"

"I'm not lying! It was in my locker and said "I'll wait for you behind the girls' dorm"," Sho said, trying to prove his innocence as he pulled the letter out of his pocket. "See?"

Junko grabbed the letter out of Sho's hand and opened it, taking out the letter so the three girls could read it.

"I wouldn't write such vulgar words," Asuka answered.

"It seems the men of Osiris Red don't even know _that_," Momoe said.

"Huh? Then, who in the world…" Sho said, trying to figure out who'd write the letter if it wasn't Asuka.

Junko took a closer look at the letter and her eyes widened at what she read.

"What's this? This is address to Yuki Judai," Junko said.

"Wha? N-No way!" Sho said in shock, unable to believe he fell for a letter that wasn't even written to him.

"Yes, way…" Junko said as she showed the letter to Sho so he could read it.

"I can't believe you were lured by some fake love letter and came here without any concern," Momoe sighed.

"And to top it off, it was all a mistake," Junko added.

"This is depressing…" Sho muttered to himself as he lowered his head.

"You reap what you sow," Junko stated matter-of-factly.

"Isn't it the truth," Momoe said in agreement.

"Let's have this reported to the academy," Junko suggested.

"Peeping into the bathhouse is about as shameless as you can possibly get," Momoe added.

"I said I didn't peep!" Sho argued, still trying to prove his innocence.

"Everyone's out here together, so what's the commotion?" the four students heard the voice of the girls' dorm leader, Professor Emi, as she looked over the railing to see what was going on, causing the Obelisk girls to turn and gasp.

"Momoe… Junko…" Asuka quietly said to the girls, who knew exactly what to do as all three girls pushed Sho down and sat on top of him!

When Professor Emi checked to see what was going on, the three girls just laughed nervously, hoping they would get caught with Sho.

"Did something happen?" Emi asked.

"Y-You're heavy…" Sho struggled under the weight of the three girls.

"Rude, aren't you?" Junko whispered to Sho.

"Just keep quiet," Momoe ordered the blue-haired boy.

"No, nothing at all. Sorry for making so much noise," Asuka apologized.

"I see. Well then, you should all return to your rooms and get some sleep," Emi told the girls before returning to her own room, at which point the three Obelisk girls got off of Sho.

"Asuka-_san_," Junko said, wondering what Asuka was up to.

"I have a little plan in mind," Asuka said, a serious look on her face as she folded her arms. "Someone had intended on calling out Yuki Judai under my name and set him up as a pervert." '_Isn't this interesting? I knew I would have to do battle with him sooner or later._'

* * *

At the same time, at the other side of the island, Kenji was in the middle of his walk until he stopped and checked his watch for the time.

"I guess I should be heading back now," Kenji said as he turned around to walk back to the Obelisk dorm until he heard someone talking nearby.

"What's a Ra Yellow like you doing out here?" a male's voice asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," answered a female's voice.

"Why bother? I'm an Obelisk Blue, so I can do what I want," the male's voice said.

'_Sounds like someone's gloating about themselves,_' Kenji thought to himself as he sighed.

"Just because you're in a higher-ranked dorm doesn't mean you get special privileges," the females voice argued.

"That's what you think," the male's voice retorted. "Tell you what. Why don't you duel me? If I win, then you have to do whatever I say."

"And if I win?"

"Fat chance. But if by some miracle you do beat me, then I'll leave you alone," the male offered.

"Alright, fine by me," the female accepted as Kenji heard Duel Disks activating.

'_So they're having a duel, huh? Might as well check it out,_' Kenji thought to himself as he snuck closer for a better look.

As Kenji got close enough, he could make out the figures of the two voices. Sure enough, the male was an Obelisk Blue student, though Kenji didn't know who he was since he didn't get to meet all his fellow Obelisks yet. The female was wearing the usual women's Ra Yellow uniform, but Kenji could see a few of her features, even at this time of night.

The girl had long black hair that reached her ankles, red thunderbolt-shaped streaks in several places of her hair. From the light that was coming off the girl's Duel Disk, Kenji could see she wore glasses, but couldn't tell what kind they were.

"Duel!"

Ra: 4000

Obelisk: 4000

"Superiors first," the Obelisk student said as he drew his six cards while the girl drew five. "I summon _Red Gadget_ in Defense mode!"

As the Obelisk student played his card, a small mechanical monster with a red body and a gear on its back appeared, crossing its arms in a guarding stance. (1300/1500)

"And with _Red Gadget_'s Monster effect, I get to add one _Yellow Gadget_ from my deck to my hand!" the Obelisk student said as he pulled out his deck, searched it, grabbed his card and put it in his hand before he shuffled his deck and put it back. "Then I'll set one card face-down to end my turn."

A facedown card appeared two spaces from the _Red Gadget_ monster to signify his move.

Obelisk's hand: 5

"My turn then. Draw!" the Ra girl said as she pulled her next card. "I summon my _Silent Swordsman LV3_ in Attack mode!"

As the girl played her card, a child-like monster appeared wielding a sword appeared on the field. (1000/1000)

"Ha! Only 1000 ATK? It doesn't even come close to my monster's DEF!" the Obelisk student mocked.

'_He's right, it doesn't. But it's a LV monster, so it'll become stronger soon,_' Kenji thought to himself.

'_Those _Gadget_ monsters of his are probably going to end up as sacrifices for his stronger monsters. So I'll just leave a little surprise for him,_' the Ra girl thought to herself as she pushed a card into her Duel Disk. "I set one card face-down. Turn end."

Ra's hand: 4

"My turn!" the Obelisk said as he pulled his next card, grinning at what he drew. "First I play the Spell card, _Frontline Base_, from my hand!"

As the Obelisk student played his card, the image shown was of a _Dark Blade_ on the back of a _Pitch-Dark Dragon_.

"Now during my turn, I can special-summon one Union Level 4 or lower Union monster from my hand to the field. But first, I'll sacrifice my _Red Gadget_," the Obelisk student said as the small machine monster slowly vanished. "To summon my _Cyber Dragon_!"

'_What the?!_' Kenji shouted in his head, not knowing that someone other than the Kaiser ran a deck with _Cyber Dragon_s as the mechanical serpent appeared on the field. (2100/1600)

"And next I'll special-summon my _Armored Cybern_!" the Obelisk played his card, calling out some kind of machine with blasters. (0/2000) "This little monster's effect allows it to be unioned to a _Cyber Dragon_ and increase its ATK by 1000!"

Kenji and the Ra girl gasped as the machine flew behind the serpent and attached to its back, increasing its power. (2100-3100/1600)

"Now attack with **Evolution Cannon!!**" the Obelisk ordered as the _Cyber Dragon_ and the attached _Armored Cybern_ charged up their attacks.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid not. I activate my Trap card!" the Ra girl announced as her facedown card rose, revealing a bunch of chains coiled around each other. "_Shadow Spell_! This card's effect lowers the ATK of an opponent's monster by 700 and prevents my opponent from changing its battle position or attacking with it!"

From the Trap card, chains shot out and coiled around the _Cyber Dragon_, effectively stopping its attack and weakening it. (3100-2400/1600)

"Damn it. Then I'll end my turn here," the Obelisk student passed.

Obelisk's hand: 4

"Draw!" the Ra said, pulling her next card. "During my Standby Phase, the effect of my _Silent Swordsman LV3_ activates! By sending him to the Graveyard, I can special-summon one _Silent Swordsman LV5_ from my hand or deck!"

As the little warrior vanished, the Ra girl searched her deck. Upon finding the card, she played in on the field before shuffling her deck and putting it back. The new monster that appeared was a taller, older version of her previous monster and carried a larger sword. (2300/1000)

"Next, I summon my _Skilled White Magician_ in Defense mode!" the girl said as she played her card, a human wearing white robes and carrying a staff appeared as he kneeled down. (1700/1900) "Then I play a Spell card, _The A. Forces_!"

The new card that appeared show a refugee trying to hide behind a rock as two warrior and two spellcaster monsters waited to attack whatever was after the refugee.

"With this Spell card, not only does my _Skilled White Magician_ gain a Spell Counter, but all warrior monsters on my field gain 200 ATK for every warrior and spellcaster monster on my field!" the Ra girl explained as a white dot circled around her _Skilled White Magician_, and with one warrior and one spellcaster on her field, _Silent Swordsman LV5_'s ATK increased. (2300-2700/1000) "Now my _Silent Swordsman LV5_ will attack your _Cyber Dragon_! **Silent Slash!!**"

As the girl's swordsman ran at the tied-up serpent, the Obelisk student pressed a button on his Duel Disk.

"I activate my face-down card, _Shrink_! With its effect, I can cut the ATK of one monster on the field in half, and I choose your _Swordsman_!" the Obelisk shouted as he card rose and shot a blast at the _Silent Swordsman_, but instead of weakening the monster, it just bounced off. "What in the?!"

"Didn't you know? _Silent Swordsman LV5_ isn't affected by my opponent's Spell cards!" the Ra girl explained as her warrior slashed at the _Cyber Dragon_.

Ra: 4000

Obelisk: 3700

However, instead of the metal serpent being destroyed, the equipped _Armored Cybern_ was.

"When a monster equipped with a Union monster would be destroyed, I can destroy the Union monster instead, even if it means losing a few Life Points," the Obelisk student said as his _Cyber Dragon_ weakened further. (2400-1400/1600)

"But your Spell card still helped me since my _Skilled White Magician_ has another Spell Counter," the girl said as a second white dot flew around the spellcaster. "I'll end my turn."

Ra's hand: 3

"Then it's my turn. Draw!" the Obelisk said as he pulled his next card. "I'll start by playing the Spell card _Hand Destruction_!"

As the Obelisk played the card, the image shows a _Sasuke Samurai_ monster swinging its sword at four cards.

"Now we both have to send two cards in our hand to the Graveyard and draw two more!" the Obelisk said as the sent half on his hand into the Graveyard while the Ra girl sent two of her three cards to the grave and both of them drew two more cards. "Next I summon _Proto-Cyber Dragon_!"

Once again, Kenji saw someone else use a card that only the Kaiser was known to use, the cylindrical serpent slithering onto the field. (1100/600)

"Next, with the effect of _Frontline Base_, I summon my second _Armored Cybern_!" the Obelisk said as the machine that had once been attached to _Cyber Dragon_ returned. (0/2000) "And with its Monster effect, _Proto-Cyber Dragon_'s name is treated as _Cyber Dragon_. So I'll union my _Armored Cybern_ to my _Proto-Cyber Dragon_!"

As small machine attached itself to the serpent, raising its ATK. (1100-2100/600)

"Now I'll have _Proto-Cyber Dragon_ attack your _Skilled White Magician_! **Proto-Evolution Cannon!!**" the Obelisk student commanded, to which the brown machine fired a laser along with the two from its new cannons at the crouching spellcaster, but the Ra girl only smirked.

"At this time, I'll activate my _Skilled White Magician_'s Monster effect!" the Ra girl shouted, shocking the Obelisk. "When _Skilled White Magician_ has three Spell Counters, I can tribute it to special-summon one _Buster Blader_ from my hand, deck or Graveyard!"

"But you don't have three Counters!" the Obelisk protested, until he saw three white dots circling the spellcaster.

"Thanks to your _Hand Destruction_ card it does. So now I'll tribute my _Skilled White Magician_!" the Ra girl announced as the spellcaster left to field. "To special-summon _Buster Blader_ from my Graveyard!"

"What the?!" the Obelisk shouted as the _Skilled White Magician_ was replaced by a heavily-armored warrior wielding a large sword. (2600/2300) "How did he get in your Graveyard?!"

"Again, it was from your _Hand Destruction_ card," the Ra girl said, referring to one of the two cards she had to send to the Graveyard. "And due to _The A. Forces_, my _Buster Blader_'s ATK points increase!"

Both the Ra girl's Spell card and monster began to glow as _Buster Blader_ was filled with power. (2600-3000/2300) Unfortunately for the Obelisk student, his attack was still on a direct course for the new monster. In turn, _Buster Blader_ raised its sword and charged through, cutting through the lasers until it reached the _Proto-Cyber Dragon_ and cleaved it in two, this time both the Union monster and the serpent were destroyed.

Ra: 4000

Obelisk: 2800

"D-Damn it," the Obelisk student growled, but couldn't do anything since he had already summoned and had no cards in his hand that he could use. "I… end my turn."

Obelisk's hand: 2

"My turn. Draw!" the Ra girl said, pulling her next and final card for the duel. "_Silent Swordsman LV5_! Take out his _Cyber Dragon_ with **Silent Slash!!**"

The girl's first warrior charged ahead and swung its sword at the chained-up _Cyber Dragon_, cutting right through both the chains and the monster.

Ra: 4000

Obelisk: 1500

"Now, _Buster Blader_! Direct attack!" the Ra girl ordered, to which the armored swordsman charged forward and slashed at the Obelisk, depleting his Life Points.

Ra: 4000 (winner)

Obelisk: 0

With the duel over, the cards and monsters faded as the Duel Disks shut down while the Obelisk student had fallen to his knees and was punching the ground.

"Damn it! I want a rematch!" the Obelisk student growled, but when the Ra girl turned to walk away, he jumped up and started to run after her when he suddenly felt something pull on his leg before he fell face-first into the ground, which caught the Ra girl's attention.

The Obelisk student checked to see what had grabbed his leg and saw a kunai with a wire attached to it. He then heard footsteps and looked up to see Kenji walking up to him.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" the Obelisk student asked.

"She beat you fair and square, so now you have to man up to your end of the bargain," Kenji said.

"Wha?! But you're an Obelisk, too!" the fallen boy shouted.

"Maybe so, but I'm against anyone who doesn't play fair, including you," Kenji said as he untied the Obelisk's leg from the wire. "Now I suggest you do as you agreed and get lost."

Without another word, the Obelisk student turned and ran off towards the Obelisk dorm.

"Phew. That was a close one," Kenji said with a relieved sigh before turning to face the Ra girl. "You ok?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," the girl said.

"Sorry about that, but not all us Obelisks are like him, I can assure you," Kenji said as he scratched the back of his head.

"It's ok…" the girl said shyly.

"By the way, what's your name?" Kenji asked. "I'm Yuuyami Kenji."

"S-Sumoi Hideko," the girl introduced herself with a bow.

'_She seems different compared to how she was in her duel,_' Kenji thought to himself. "Nice to meet you, Hideko-san."

Hideko merely nodded as her response.

"By the way, do you know Misawa Daichi, by any chance? He's a Ra Yellow, too," Kenji asked.

"Um… I think I've heard of him around the dorm," Hideko answered. "Why do you ask?"

"He's a friend of mine. Maybe the three of us can get together some time and I can have you meet my other friends," Kenji offered.

"I don't know…" Hideko said, looking away from Kenji.

"Trust me, they're not like that other guy. Sho and Judai are really nice guys and they're even from the Osiris Red dorm," Kenji said.

"I'll think about it…" Hideko said.

"Then I'll see you later then," Kenji said as he walked back towards the Obelisk dorm and waved goodbye to Hideko, who in turn walked towards the Ra Yellow dorm.

* * *

At the same time as Hideko's duel, Judai was sitting in his dorm room… playing video games.

"Take that, and that, and that!" Judai was shouting as he played a fighting game until his Student Planner started to ring with a new message.

Judai turned off the game, grabbed his planner and turned it on. There was no picture on the screen, instead it was just blurry.

"We have Marufuji Sho," a squeaky voice said. "If you want him back, come to the girls' dorm."

"What's this?" Judai asked himself, wondering what the message was about.

But instead of pondering what the message meant, Judai immediately left his room and headed towards the lake. Once he got there, he hopped into a row boat and started to row towards the Obelisk girls' dorm. Upon reaching the other side and getting out of the boat, Judai was met with Asuka, Junko, Momoe, and a tied-up Sho.

"Big Bro…" Sho whined from his situation.

"Sho, what's going on here?" Judai asked.

"Well… if I told you, it'd either be a very long story or a very short story…" Sho answered.

"He was peeping into the girls' bathhouse!" Junko accused.

"What'd you say?" Judai asked in surprise.

"I said I didn't peep!" Sho argued with the girl.

"If the academy finds out about it, he'll definitely get expelled," Junko said.

"Hey, you. Want to duel with me?" Asuka challenged Judai. "If you defeat me, I'll look past the whole "peeping in the bathhouse" incident."

"But I'm telling you, I didn't peep!" Sho continued to argue.

"I don't know what's quite going on, but whatever," Judai said as he hit his right fist into his left palm. "I accept your duel!"

Asuka stared Judai down before both groups each grabbed a row boat and rowed to the middle of the lake. Sho was untied and sat with Judai as Junko and Momoe sat with Asuka. Both Judai and Asuka shuffled their decks and threw them into their Duel Disks, but they didn't know they were being watched by Professor Chronos.

"This has turned into a somewhat interesting event," Chronos mused to himself.

"Here I go!" Asuka shouted.

"Sure! Bring it!" Judai shouted back as both of them drew their first five cards.

"Duel!"

Asuka: 4000

Judai: 4000

"Big Bro…" Sho said quietly, worried for Judai.

"It's my turn! Draw!" Asuka said as she pulled her sixth card and looked over her hand before switching the card she drew for a different one. "I summon _Etoile Cyber_!"

As Asuka played her card, a young woman with red and blue skin and long orange hair appeared. She also wore a tutu, making her look like a ballerina. (1200/1600)

"Then, I'll set one card to end my turn," Asuksa said as she slid a card into the Duel Disk.

Asuka's hand: 4

"Next up's my turn! Draw!" Judai pulled his sixth card. '_All right!_' "I summon _Elemental Hero Sparkman_!"

As Judai played his card, in a flash of lightning, the electric hero Judai had used against Manjoume appeared on the field. (1600/1400)

"With _Sparkman_, I attack _Etoile Cyber_!" Judai declared, to which _Sparkman_ fired a blast of electricity at the ballerina.

'_Are you telling me he's completely ignoring my reverse card?_' Asuksa thought to herself, unable to believe Judai's reckless move as she pressed a button on her Duel Disk. "Reverse card, open! I activate _Doble Passé_!"

The card Asuka activated had an image of a ballerina dancing in the spotlight. And as soon as _Sparkman_'s attack reached _Etoile Cyber_, the electric currents flowed around the monster and struck Asuka.

Asuka: 2400

Judai: 4000

"What?!" Judai asked, wondering why Asuka took a direct hit.

"_Doble Passé_ changed an opponent's attack to a direct attack on the player. And then, the monster targeted by the attack can attack the opponent directly!" Asuksa explained as _Etoile Cyber_ gracefully glided across the water towards Judai. "_Etoile Cyber_'s special effect… When it attack directly, its ATK goes up by 600!"

As the ballerina neared Judai, it spun around before delivering a swift kick to his shoulder. (1200-1800/1600) The strike caused Judai to fall to one knee.

Asuka: 2400

Judai: 2200

"What a woman," Judai said as he got back to his feet. "To think she'd set up this trap, yet not even care about taking damage herself…"

"What's the matter? Are you done already?" Asuka asked the Osiris student.

"Yeah, my turn's finished," Judai answered.

Judai's hand: 5

"I won't have to hesitate to go on, then. It's my turn. Draw!" Asuka pulled her next card as _Etoile Cyber_'s ATK returned to normal. (1800-1200/1600) "I summon _Blade Skater_!"

As Asuka played her next card, another ballerina appeared on the field, only her skin was a mix of grey and purple as blades as seen on ice skates were attached to her wrists. (1400/1500)

"And then, the Spell card, _Polymerization_!" Asuka announced, playing another card from her hand. "I fuse _Etoile Cyber_ and _Blade Skater_ together to summon _Cyber Blader_!"

Asuka's two monsters started to dance along the surface of the lake in mirrored movements until a small tornado surrounded both of them. When the tornado died down, the two monsters were replaced with one that had red, purple and grey skin, long blue hair and wore a red visor over her eyes. (2100/800)

"Here I go! With _Cyber Blader_, I attack _Sparkman_!" Asuka declared, to which her monster began to spin, creating a gust of wind and it sped towards Judai's monster.

Once _Cyber Blader_ was close enough, she stuck out one leg, which had an ice skate under her foot, and struck _Sparkman_ and destroyed him, causing Judai to brace himself.

Asuka: 2400

Judai: 1700

"Shit… she got me!" Judai groaned.

"No less from our Asuka! You're magnificent!" Momoe cheered.

"Keep it up and pummel this guy into dust!" Junko cheered as well.

"Don't lose, Big Bro! Do your best!" Sho chered on his fellow Osiris.

"You've got some nerve!" Junko shouted at Sho.

"Uh, well, not really…" Sho backed down.

"Want to try swimming in the lake naked?" Momoe taunted the blue-haired Osiris.

"That's sexual harassment!" Sho shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Junko asked. "A peeping tom doesn't have any right to say something like that!"

"I _didn't_ peep, darn it!" Sho argued.

Asuka's hand: 3

"I'm not finished just yet!" Judai said, still able to keep fighting. "My turn! Draw!"

As Judai drew his next card, a grin appeared on his face.

'_All right. I'll use this…_' Judai thought to himself. "I activate the Field Spell, _Fusion Gate_!"

As Judai played his card though, the field remained the exact same.

"This can summon a Fusion Monster without a Fusion card!" Judai explained. "I'll fuse _Avian_ and _Burstinatrix_ together to summon _Flame Wingman_!"

However, due to the effect of _Fusion Gate_, Judai had to remove the Fusion material monsters from play, so he just stuffed them in his pocket as his favorite _Elemental Hero_ monster appeared on the field. (2100/1200)

"Impressive. To see me summon a Fusion Monster, and fight back with a Fusion Monster like that without a moment's delay… But still... They both have the same ATK," Asuka reminded the E-Hero duelist. "They'll kill each other off like this, won't they?"

"Not really!" Judai chuckled. "Next, I activate the Continuous Spell, _Kishido Spirit_!"

As Judai played the card, the image was merely of the knight that was on the _Paladin Of White Dragon_ card.

"Now, my monster won't be destroyed by a monster with an equal ATK!" Judai explained the card effect. "But that's not all. Once _Flame Wingman_ destroys _Cyber Blader_, its effect'll deal 2100 points of damage, which is equal to _Cyber Blader_'s ATK, to you. Go, _Flame Wingman_! Attack her _Cyber Blader_!"

The Fusion monster charged ahead, its clawed feet dragging across the lake as it sped towards Asuka's monster.

'_You're the naïve one here…_' Asuka thought to herself, a smirk on her face as _Flame Wingman_ stood in front of her monster.

As Judai's monster threw it dragon-head arm forward, it released a blast of fire that engulfed Asuka's monster. However, when the flames died down, _Cyber Blader_ was still standing, completely unharmed.

"What? Why isn't it destroyed?" Judai wondered.

"_Pas de Duex_…" was Asuka's answer. "_Cyber Blader_'s special effect… If my opponent only has one monster, it can't be destroyed in battle."

"What was that?! Then, for this turn…" Judai said, realizing his attack was meaningless.

"That's right. It means that neither of us take damage," Asuka assured him.

"My turn's finished!" Judai said since he had nothing else to do this turn.

Judai's hand: 3

"Honestly, you just have a weak endgame. It's my turn. Draw," Asuka said casually as she pulled her next card, the smirk returning to her face. "Playtime is over. The Equip Spell, _Fusion Weapon_! And I equip it to _Cyber Blader_!"

The image on the card was merely of a _Dark Flare Knight_, but the effect that would result from the card was more dangerous. As the card was equipped to _Cyber Blader_, the monster's right hand slowly morphed into what appeared to be a three-pronged cannon as her ATK and DEF jumped. (2100-3600/800-2300)

"Amazing! Its ATK suddenly jumped to 3600!" Judai shouted, more excited than frightened at the new development.

"Brace yourself! With _Cyber Blader_, I attack _Flame Wingman_!" Asuka declared.

With her new weapon, _Cyber Blader_ fired a beam of green energy at _Flame Wingman_, stunning him before outright destroying him and causing Judai to hold his ground.

Asuka: 2400

Judai: 200

"You got ahead of yourself just because you beat Professor Chronos. The very thought of a couple of Osiris Reds trying to beat us Obelisk Blues is, after all, extremely arrogant," Junko stated.

"Sorry to break it to you, but you're as good as expelled!" Momoe said as Junko flashed a victory sign for Asuka.

"I don't care what happens to me since I haven't done anything wrong, but… I won't let you get away with treating my Big Bro, who came to save me, like a fool!" Sho shouted. "Don't lose, Big Bro."

"Yeah, of course. Don't worry about it, Sho," Judai assured him.

'_What possible good can he do with his mere 200 points left?_' Asuka mentally asked herself.

'_I don't have any monsters on my field._' Judai thought to himself as he glanced at his Duel Disk. '_All I have is my lone _Fusion Gate_, a Field Spell_._ But I've got one way to win this, and I've got one chance. My next draw will decide everything._' "My turn! Draw!"

Judai pulled his next card, either way it would be his last draw for the duel, but he was willing to show he wasn't going to give up. As Judai checked his card, a smile appeared on his face as he got what he needed.

"Here it is!" Judai said, a shocked expression appearing on Asuka's face. "Here goes! I summon _Elemental Hero Clayman_!"

As Judai played his card, the hero of earth made his appearance. (800/2000)

"Then, I activate the Spell card, _Monster Reborn_!" Judai said, and as he played his card, a mist spread over the field. "From my Graveyard, I special-summon _Sparkman_!"

Appearing out of the mist through a small whirlwind was Judai's _Elemental Hero_ of lightning. (1600/1400)

"Just what do you plan on doing?" Asuka asked, wondering why Judai would not only summon a monster with only 800 ATK, but revive another that she had previously destroyed. "No matter how many of those weak-ATK monsters you play, they won't beat my _Cyber Blader_."

"Next, with the effect of my Field Spell, _Fusion Gate_, I'll fuse both _Sparkman_ and _Clayman_ together…" Judai answered the Obelisk Queen. "…to summon _Elemental Hero Thunder Giant_!"

At the call of the Fusion Monster's name, _Sparkman_ and _Clayman_ stood back-to-back and started to spin before being enveloped by light, which released a thunderbolt upward into the sky. In a blinding flash of light, a giant monster with a yellow body, helmet and blue jewel on its chest filled with electricity appeared. (2400/1500)

"Field Spells… Spell cards that give the entire field a special effect while they're out on the field," Sho said, remembering the question Professor Chronos had asked him earlier that day.

As _Thunder Giant_ made his descent, the waters began to part and create small waves as lightning danced across the sky.

"So what?" Asuka said, not at all amused by Judai's play. "My _Cyber Blader_ has an ATK of 3600. Don't you know that?"

"Yeah, of course I know," Judai answered. "_Thunder Giant_ is able to destroy a monster with an original ATK lower than its own."

"Original ATK…" Asuka repeated.

"And before it was powered up by your Equip Spell, your _Cyber Blader_'s ATK was…"

"2-2100 points…" Asuka said, finishing Judai's sentence as she realized what was about to happen. "It's lower than _Thunder Giant_'s…"

"That's right. Let's finish this in one attack! I activate _Thunder Giant_'s special effect! I destroy _Cyber Blader_!" Judai declared as his monster hovered closer to Asuka's monster and, once _Thunder Giant_ stood before _Cyber Blader_, he lifted is hand and released a torrent of electricity, electrocuting _Cyber Blader_ before destroying it. "And then, a direct attack on the opposing player! **Voltic Thunder!!**"

At the call of his attack, _Thunder Giant_ held out his arms and released blasts of electricity at Asuka that struck dead-on.

Asuka: 0

Judai: 200 (winner)

However, a small spark traveled across the water and struck Professor Chronos as well.

"Asuka-_san_!" Junko cried out as her friend lost her balance a little.

"Will you be all right?" Momoe asked.

"You did it!" Sho cheered as he jumped to his feet and hugged Judai, and after he let go, Judai struck out his right arm, pointing his index and middle fingers at Asuka just like he did against Professor Chronos during his duel exam.

"Gotcha! That sure was a fun duel!" Judai said.

Once the two groups had calmed down from the excitement the duel generated, they rowed their boats towards each other until they were side-by-side.

"Sho will be coming back with me, just like we agreed," Judai said, hoping Asuka and her friends would live up to their end of the deal.

"Go right ahead. I'll keep out agreement," Asuka replied. "And I'll keep quiet about what happened today."

"Humph! You shouldn't get too ahead of yourself, since you won by a fluke!" Junko said, unable to believe that Asuka lost to an Osiris.

"Quit it, Junko," Asuka warned.

"Asuka-_san_…"

"A loss is a loss, so don't be such a poor sport about it," Asuka said.

"No, maybe she's right," Judai said, getting the attention of the three girls. "You're strong."

Hearing that surprised Asuka, but before she could say anything, Judai and Sho had already sat back down in their boat.

"See you," Judai bid farewell for now as he rowed the boat back towards the Osiris dorm.

'_That guy might be getting more and more interesting…_' Asuka thought to herself as she watched Judai row away.

'_Asuka-san is different today than she usually is…_' Junko mentally pointed out to herself. '_Don't tell me…_'

Junko just shook her head though, unable to believe what her head was trying to tell her.

As for Professor Chronos, he managed to shake off the shock and watched Judai and Sho row back to shore.

"Yuki Judai! Next time, I will bring you down a peg or two, without fail!" Chronos swore. "But I'm tired today…"

The dorm leader of the Obelisk Blue boys' dorm then began his swim back to the dorm.

* * *

**A/N: And that's the chapter! I hope you all liked it and I also hope you all like Hideko as we get to know her more through later chapters.**

**Next: The day of the promotion exams has arrived, where students duel against others from the same dorm to see who gets promoted one dorm (or in the Obelisk's case, just for fun). However, when new, rare cards arrive, someone's already bought them! And why is Manjoume, an Obelisk Blue, dueling against Osiris Red Judai?! You'll have to stayed tuned to find out.**

**Please R&R, everyone!**


	4. Advancing Duels

**A/N: Hey everyone, and welcome to another chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster GX: Duel Academia Legends! Last time we saw Sho get tricked by a fake love letter that wasn't addressed to him in the first place! Plus we also got to meet a new OC, Sumoi Hideko, created by my friend Moroko-chan! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well. But also, I must apologize to my friend Duelist Of Dawn since the duel between Kenji and Raizou on here was taken from his GX story in Kenji's chapter. Sorry dude, but when creativity leaves my head I tend to borrow other peoples stuff (not without asking though, but this one was an exception along with the Kenji vs Ryo duel in chapter 2).**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. I DO, however, own Yuuyami Kenji and Sumoi Hideko belongs to Moroko-chan. Subbed episodes were provided by GymLeaderLance99 of YouTube.**

* * *

Turn 4: Advancing Duels

The days following Judai's duel with Asuka had proceeded normally, with everyone going to their classes, learning and doing their usual stuff, which would include Judai sleeping through just about every class. However, a recent announcement about a Promotion Test had been announced and everyone in the Osiris and Ra dorms were making preparations, for if they made their duels look good enough, they'd be promoted to the next dorm. The student at the Obelisk Blue dorms, however, merely shrugged off the tests since they couldn't go to a higher dorm and it was merely to test their skills.

Time passed until just one day before the Promotion Exams, between which Kenji had introduced Hideko to Judai, Sho, Misawa, and Hayato. Aside from her hair, from what Kenji managed to notice during Hideko's duel with the Obelisk, Hediko's glasses were rectangular, half-rimmed glasses with a black frame around them, her eyes a forest green and, with the exception of her chest, her figure would've made her look like a twin of a very familiar, famous female Spellcaster. Though for reasons currently unknown, Sho managed to pass out every time Hideko was around, his face flushed red.

Currently though, the first-years were in class with the dorm leader of the Ra Yellow dorms, Kabayama-sensei. As usual, Judai was fast asleep while everyone else was paying attention to Kabayama-sensei's lecture. At the end of the class, Kabayama gave one more notice about the Promotion Exams.

"As a reminder, the Promotion Exams will be tomorrow morning, instructed and watched over by Professor Daitokuji," Professor Kabayama announced.

With that, the class was dismissed and everyone was chatting about the exams as they left the room. One of those people was Manjoume.

"Why do I need to take these exams?" Manjoume grumbled to himself. "I'm the best duelist here."

"You? The best?" the voice of Junko, one of Asuka's friends, inquired. "Ryo-_san_ holds that spot nicely."

"Maybe so. But this _is_ his last year," Manjoume pointed out. "And once he leaves, _I'll_ be the next Kaiser."

"Sorry to knock you off your little pedestal Manjoume, but you're wrong there," Kenji spoke up, gaining the attention of Manjoume, Junko and a handful of nearby students in the halls.

"I remember you. You're friends with that dropout from Osiris," Manjoume said.

"His name's Judai," Kenji corrected.

"Whatever. So what do you mean about me being wrong?" Manjoume asked.

"Ryo-_san_ already has a candidate picked out to take his place as Kaiser when he leaves," Kenji answered.

"And just who would that be?" Manjoume continued to ask.

"Me," Kenji answered.

Everyone in the hallway just stared before Manjoume started to laugh.

"You? The next Kaiser? That's a joke," Manjoume laughed. "Everyone knows I'm the best first-year and I _am_ the best after Ryo-_san_."

"Then I hope I get to go up against you in the exams," Kenji challenged.

"Tch. What makes you so sure you were picked to be the next Kaiser anyway?" Manjoume asked.

"Ryo-_san_ himself told me after I had a duel with him," Kenji answered.

The male Obelisk Blue students that were standing in the hall listening to Kenji and Manjoume began to talk to themselves about the duel that had taken place between the Kaiser and the Ninja duelist on the first day of the school year.

"You dueled the Kaiser?" Manjoume asked, a skeptical look on his face to which Kenji merely nodded, which caused Manjoume to scoff. "I doubt you stood a chance."

"I did quite a bit of damage."

"Barely 1000 I bet."

"Almost 3000," Kenji said, a shocked look on not just Manjoume's face, but also on the faces of everyone else who was listening in while the Ninja duelist walked through and towards the front doors.

The rest of the day proceeded as normal, the students doing what studying they can for the written portion of the exam and fixing up their decks for the dueling portion. Once the sun had set, everyone turned in for the night in preparation of the Promotion Exam.

* * *

The following morning, out at sea and heading towards the Duel Academia island was a small fleet of ships and a little over a dozen helicopters.

"Aerial Escort 2260 Eagle, here," reported a pilot from one of the helicopters. "We'll be converging with them in three minutes."

"Roger, Eagle," a voiced answered over the radio.

"The main ship has acquired the target in visual range," said the captain of the lead ship.

"8030, preparing to land," said another helicopter pilot.

"All ship re-enter alert status! We must protect this…" the lead ship's captain said, holding a metal briefcase with the Duel Academia logo on it. "…no matter what! Prepare for landing!"

The ships and helicopters continued their course for Duel Academia.

* * *

All the students had gone straight to Professor Daitokuji's classroom for the written test and Kenji was just flying through the questions (figuratively speaking) as was Hideko and Misawa.

* * *

Well, maybe not _all_ the students, as Judai was still sleeping in bed and Sho was sitting at a desk, praying to a poster of _Osiris The Sky Dragon_.

"I beseech thee…" Sho was praying, a white paper headband tied around his head with three copies of the _Monster Reborn_ Spell cardstuck in them and one on a small wooden platform, leaning against the wall that the poster was one and a candle on each side. "O Duel God, depending on how I score on today's monthly test, I can get promoted from Osiris Red to Ra Yellow! This is sure to be my… _Resurrection of the Dead _**(A/N: I had to use the name of the card used in the episode for this part to go along with Sho's prayer)**! Please save poor Sho from the Graveyard! I beg of you, please!"

However, at the sound of Judai's alarm clock, which was lying in his face and still not waking him up, Sho nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise. Once he calmed down though, Sho turned around.

"Oh, it's just the alarm clock…" Sho sighed in relief before getting out of the chair and walking up to the sleeping Judai. "But Big Bro Judai sure is relaxed… He doesn't do any studying for the test, comes back to the dorm and just sleeps away.

Sho then placed one hand on Judai's shoulder and started to shake him.

"Big Bro, you're gonna be late for the test! Big Bro!" Sho shouted, trying to wake Judai up.

"My turn! Draw!" Judai shouted in his sleep, throwing his arms out and smacking Sho in the face, knocking the little guy on his back while the alarm clock went flying who knows where.

"Geez! Your turn's over!" Sho complained as Judai just rolled back over and continued to sleep. "I said you're gonna be late for the test!"

"Sho, you're way too soft," Hayato said from the top bunk, not wanting to take the test. "The test has you compete in your own dorm in both a practical and written portion. That means all the members of Osiris Red are your enemy."

"N-No way… my enemy?" Sho repeated as he sat up.

"And since he beat Professor Chronos, Judai's especially closest to Ra Yellow out of all the Osiris Reds here," Hayato stated. "If we just leave him be and don't wake him up, we'll gain ourselves and advantage."

"I couldn't possibly do that to my Big Bro as his little bro!" Sho argued as he got back up and started to shake Judai some more. "Big Bro! Wake up, Big Bro! The test is gonna start, Big Bro! Big Bro, darn it! Big Bro!"

When Judai didn't budge, Sho just got up and ran out the door and headed for the main building as fast as he could so he wouldn't be late for the test.

'_That's right. This is a duelist's battlefield,_' Sho mentally reminded himself as he ran towards the main building. '_I have to beat them before they beat me! I'm trying to be a hard-boiled duelist!_'

Unfortunately though, Sho managed to trip himself and fell face-first on the pathway, but pushed himself back up and hurried to find a seat in the test room.

* * *

By the time Sho got his test, the Obelisk and Ra students were already finished, if not close. Those that weren't finished just wanted to take their sweet time as most, if not all, the Osiris students struggled through the written test.

* * *

Some time later, roughly 15 minutes, Judai _finally_ got out of bed and was running full-speed towards the main building.

"I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" Judai shouted at himself as he ran.

However, not that far from Judai, a somewhat hefty woman was trying to push a van up the hill, probably because it was out of gas or the engine died.

"I'm late! I'm late!" Judai kept yelling at himself as he ran right past the woman, but when he managed to notice her, he skid to a stop and looked back at the woman in trouble, clutching his head at the predicament. "I'm a sucker for situations like this!"

Judai then ran back down the hill towards the woman and her van.

"I'll give you a hand, old lady!" Judai offered as he started to push the van from the back.

"You'll be late! Don't you have a test today?" the old woman asked.

"So what if I'm late? I can't ignore an old lady in trouble!" Judai said as they both struggled to push the van, at least until Judai let go and both the van and the old lady started sliding down the hill, then Judai ran back down and went back to pushing the back of the van.

"Boy…"

"I can handle that thing you just mentioned," Judai said, referring to the exam. "Just leave everything to me!"

"Thanks a bunch!" the old lady thanked him as they started pushing the van up the hill.

"Don't mention it. We're both in a pinch, you know!"

* * *

It had taken Judai and the old lady some time to get the van to the main building, but once Judai got to the test room, Sho had fallen asleep!

"Big Bro… Big Bro… I'm sorry… Big Bro…" Sho said quietly in his sleep.

"Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!" Judai said, trying to mimic Professor Daitokuji's voice without the meowing as he stood next to Sho, causing the shorter Osiris to wake up. "There's no point in studying to the bone just to doze off, you jerk!"

"B-Big Bro…"

"You're being a pest, Osiris Red! Shut your trap!" Manjoume shouted at Sho and Judai from his seat two rows up. "If you don't plan on taking the test, then beat it!"

"Quit joking around! I came all this way! You think I'm just gonna go back?!" Judai shouted back.

"Yuki Judai-_kun_, come down here and get your test sheet-_nya_," Professor Daitokuji called to the brown-haired Osiris from the very front of the class. "There's not much time left-_nya_."

"Yes, sir!!" Judai called back down before running down the stairs to collect his test sheet.

'_H-He's mocking us…_' one of the Osiris students mentally seethed.

'_Being thirty minutes late means he has no consideration for the written test,_' Asuka thought to himself.

'_How could you be so negligent and yet have such considerable skills, Yuki Judai?_' Misawa mentally asked.

'_How did a guy like him beat Professor Chronos?_' another Osiris student mentally seethed as Judai made his way back up to his seat.

'_How…?_' Asuka thought to herself.

'_Is he_ always_ like that?_' Hideko asked herself as she watched Judai.

'_Poor guy. He'll be lucky if he even passes this part of the test,_' Kenji thought to himself as Judai sat next to Sho.

Time continued to pass, but both Sho and Judai managed to fall asleep as just about everyone had finished and those who haven't were sending death glares at both Osiris students. But what Judai didn't know, or anyone else for that matter, was that Professor Chronos was peaking into the room and spying on Judai.

"He finished _himself_ off on the written test, just as I suspected!" Chronos whispered to himself. "All that remains is the practical skills test…" '_I look forward to that!_'

Once the time for the written test was over, Professor Daitokuji stood up and cleared his throat.

"The written test has now ended! In addition, the practical skills test will take place in the gymnasium at 2:00 PM!" Daitokuji announced.

And with that, all the students in the room were rushing out the doors and bolting down the hallways towards the card shop, with a few exceptions of course.

"Let's hurry!" one of Manjoume's buddies said to the pompous Obelisk as he was looking over some sheets.

"We have to hurry up!" said Manjoume's other "minion", as Kenji had started calling them since they and Manjoume himself continued to refer to Judai as a dropout.

"Yeah, I know," Manjoume said casually as his two minion ran out of the classroom and towards the card shop, leaving Kenji, Hideko, Misawa, and the sleeping duo of Sho and Judai the only ones in the room.

"Hey, you two! Wake up! The test is already over!" Misawa said as he shook Judai while Hideko was shaking Sho, but the blue-haired Obelisk jolted up immediately.

"Now I've done it… why did I even study?" Sho berated himself.

"Don't feel too bad, Sho-_kun_," Hideko said, to which Sho's face turned a little red when he noticed her next to him.

"Don't sweat it. The skills test this afternoon is where it counts," Judai said as he lifted his head up, a wide grin on his face.

"Huh? Where is everyone?" Sho wondered as he looked around to see it was only the five of them in the room.

"Is it lunchtime already?" Judai asked, now standing up.

"They're probably at the store getting some of those rare cards coming in today," Kenji guessed.

"H-Huh!? Rare cards!?" Sho shouted.

"Everyone went down there to buy some, trying to reinforce their decks for the practical skills test this afternoon," Misawa explained.

"W-What about you, Misawa-_kun_?" Sho asked.

"I'm confident in my deck as it is. I don't need any new cards," Misawa answered.

"Same here. Much like a ninja, Ninja cards are hard to find and I've still got a few spare cards in my dorm if I want to make any changes," Kenji said.

"W-What about you, H-H-H-Hi…" Sho tried to talk to the black-haired female Ra, but passed out before even finishing her name, causing the four of them to sweatdrop.

"I hope that doesn't happen all the time," Hideko said to herself, but Kenji managed to hear her since he was standing right next to her.

"Why's that?" Kenji asked, causing Hideko to jump, not expecting anyone to have heard her.

"W-Well it's not a good thing to have someone faint when trying to talk to you, is it?" Hideko asked, her face a light pink.

"True. So what about you, are you going to get some new cards Hideko?" Kenji asked, to which Hideko slowly shook her head.

"Making a deck mixed of Warriors and Spellcasters is harder than you'd think. Though I am missing a few cards, they're really rare and I bet they'll be gone by the time we get to the shop," Hideko answered.

"I see. And how about you, Judai?" Kenji asked.

"I'm… really interested! I've just _gotta_ see what kind of cards they've got!" Judai shouted with enthusiasm as he grabbed Sho's wrist and dragged the smaller Osiris out of the room and towards the card shop, not without some damage to Sho from the stairs, though.

Kenji couldn't help but laugh a little at Judai's bottomless pit of enthusiasm.

"Well, let's go work on our decks then," Kenji offered to his two remaining friends, to which Misawa and Hideko both nodded before the three of them left.

* * *

At the card shop, the shutter had been closed and students were pressing themselves against it, banging their hands on the steel wall.

"Open up! Open up!" the students shouted. "Hurry up and show us the rare cards!"

Soon, a group of guards ran down the halls towards the students, causing them to turn around when they heard approaching footsteps.

"Who are they!?" the students all asked at once.

"Step back! Step back!" the guards shouted as they tried to pry the students away from the shutter.

"What you guys want…" a voice shouted from the other end of the hall, causing the guards to back away and form a passage for the one man who held up a metal briefcase. "…is right here!"

The students were clapping and cheering once the suitcase was revealed and they gladly moved out of the way for the man as he lifted the shutter and stepped into the room behind it.

"And we're selling them… right now," the man said as he walked into the room.

"At last, the rare cards are…" all the students shouted as the shutters opened, revealing the briefcase open, but with only a slip of paper in it that said "Sold", causing all the students to face fault. "…not here!!"

"What's the meaning of this?!" one of the students shouted once everyone got back to their feet, now noticing that the man who brought the briefcase was gone and a girl wearing a blue miniskirt, pink t-shirt and red suspenders was standing next to the case with another man wearing a dark trenchcoat and a black hat stood nearby.

"This person purchased them all," the girl, most likely one of the workers at the card shop, answered as she pointed to the dark-dressed man standing nearby.

"This guy?" all the students wondered as they looked at the man.

"I have already paid the price in full," the man answered.

All the students then started to yell at the man for buying all the cards. The man merely chuckled and made his leave, making the students have to purchase packs of cards instead of getting rare cards.

* * *

Of course, Judai and the now conscious Sho were closing in to the card shop some time after the other students left.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Judai said as he and Sho ran to the shop.

"Wait for me!" Sho said, but then the two of them immediately stopped and looked into the empty card shop.

"What happened…?" Judai wondered.

"If no one's here…"

"…does that mean they've all been bought already?!" both Sho and Judai ask each other and ran to the front desk.

"Granny! Granny!" Judai called to the girl standing behind the counter, but then noticed it was a young woman and corrected himself when he noticed her glaring at him. "Uh… _miss_. Where are the new cards?"

"Well, there were a lot of students here to buy cards… and this is the only one we have left," the girl said as she slide out a single pack of cards.

"Huh?! J-Just one?!" Sho and Judai asked to make sure.

"What should we do, Big Bro?" Sho asked. "We bombed the written test, so if we can at least beef up our deck for the practical part…"

"It's okay. You buy it, Sho," Judai said.

"You're letting me have it? It's the very last pack!" Sho said, wanting to make sure Judai was sane.

"It's _fine_," Judai assured his short friend.

"But Big Bro, today's a really big test!" Sho reminded him. "And we're both mutual enemies, too…"

"Enemies? Why?" Judai asked, not having been told by Hayato.

"Well, you see…" Sho started, but was interrupted by Judai.

"Still, there's still some time left until the skills test! Let's hurry up and get working on our decks!" Judai said, ignoring what Sho was about to say.

"Big Bro…"

"Wait just a minute there!" the boys heard someone call to them.

Sho and Judai looked over the counter as the young woman moved out of the way while the old woman Judai had helped earlier in the day walked up.

"Ah, it's Granny from this morning!" Judai said.

"It's not "Granny." Call me "Tome". _To-me_!" the old woman pronounced her own name so Sho and Judai would remember.

"So, you work at the store, Tome-_san_, huh?" Judai asked.

"Do you know her, Big Bro?" Sho asked.

"For certain reasons, I guess," Judai answered as he laughed a little.

"That aside, come on over here," Tome said, earning the attention of the two Osiris boys while she laughed to herself. "I've got something that's very nice, sir!"

* * *

While Sho and Judai were busy at the card shop, Manjoume and his minion were up in the rafters above the Duel Room.

"Who was that guy? How dare he buy up all those cards…" said one of Manjoume's two minions.

"We weren't able to buy a single thing…" said the other minion. "What'll we do about this afternoon's test?"

"Just keep calm. You don't need to stock up on any new cards for some dumb monthly test," Manjoume said as the three of them stopped walking. "There's nobody in Obelisk Blue who can beat _me_, anyway."

"But what about that Kenji guy? He said he almost beat the Kaiser," said the blue-haired minion.

"He was probably bluffing," Manjoume said.

"But what if your opponent was Yuki Judai?" a voice said, the owner of it most likely hadn't heard the parts about Kenji versus Ryo, causing Manjoume and his minions to turn and face a figure dressed in dark clothing, their face hidden behind a black hat.

"What?" Manjoume asked.

"Can you beat Judai with your deck as it is?" the man restated his question.

"You're the one… who bought up all the cards!" said Manjoume's blue-haired minion.

"Those cards are all… right here!" the man said as he opened the trenchcoat, revealing rows upon rows of Duel Monsters cards, the same ones that had been in the briefcase.

"Who are you?" asked Manjoume's second minion.

"What's the point in buying up all those cards?" asked the blue-haired minion, causing the man to laugh.

"Still clueless, Signore Manjoume? As to… who I really am?!" the man asked as he pulled off his hat, revealing himself to be none other than…

"It's the guy who lost to Yuki Judai, Professor Chronos!" Manjoume said casually, putting down his own dorm leader and causing him to face fault a little.

"A dropout boy like Yuki Judai must be crushed by elites such as yourselves before it's too late," Chronos said after quickly regaining his balance. "That's why I'm instructing you to do it! Fight against Judai!"

"But the practical test is conducted between members of the same dorm!" Manjoume reminded his dorm leader.

"Leave everything to me!" Chronos assured him. "And we'll make that Dropout Boy remember that we elites are the rare ones around here!"

* * *

By the time the dueling portions of the Promotion Exam came around, Kenji found himself going up against Manjoume's brown-haired goon, soon finding out his name was Raizou. The gymnasium was set up with six duel areas, much like back at the entrance duels last month at the Kaiba Dome.

"So I'm up against one of Manjoume's followers, huh?" Kenji asked as he shuffled his deck and put it into his duel disk.

"That's right, and I'm calling your bluff about dealing damage to the Kaiser," Raizou said, putting his deck into his Duel Disk and causing Kenji to sigh.

"You can go ahead and ask Ryo-_san_ yourself if you don't believe me," Kenji said.

"Just shut up and duel," Raizou said, his Duel Disk activating.

"Fine," Kenji said, letting out another irritated sigh.

"Duel!"

Kenji: 4000

Raizou: 4000

"I'll take the first move. Draw!" Raizou said, pulling his six cards while Kenji drew five. "I summon _Stone Statue Of The Aztecs_ in Defense mode!"

As Raizou played his card, a humanoid figure made of green and blue stone rose from the ground. (300/2000)

'_Talk about déjà vu, my exam proctor used that same card as his last one,_' Kenji said in his mind as he remembered back to the entrance duels. '_But why play it face-up? It works better when face-down. Unless he's going to place a face-down card._'

"Turn end!" Raizou said, causing Kenji to sweatdrop.

'_Or maybe not._' "My turn! Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his sixth card and looked at it. '_Alright, if I can get the right card, this duel will be over on this turn._' "I summon _Ninja Kisaragi_ in Defense mode!"

From the card, a young girl in her late teens jumped out. She wore a navy blue tank-top with a white Hawaiian flower design under a dark gray sleeveless vest, both of which stopped just below her ribcage, making her midriff visible. She also wore khaki shorts folded over a blue belted fanny pack, resting across her right hip. A blue and white headband was tied around her forehead as she crouched down, but wasn't in a defensive stance. (500/2000)

"Ha! Ninjas? Are you trying to imitate that Jean-Claude Magnum guy?" Raizou asked.

"He may use a Ninja-based deck as well, but he's doing that for his movies. I use a Ninja deck because of my heritage," Kenji explained. "And before you ask, no. I am not a fan of his crappy-ass movies."

Raizou merely shrugged.

"Now then, let's continue. Next I play three Spell cards, _Fuhma Shuriken_!" Kenji said, sliding the three cards into his Duel Disk as a row of shuriken appeared around _Kisaragi_'s waist, boosting her ATK. (500-2600/2000)

"Heh. What's the point of increasing her ATK when you played her in Defense mode?" Raizou asked, thinking Kenji had messed up.

"Because with _Ninja Kisaragi_'s effect, she can attack even while in Defense mode," Kenji answered, shocking his opponent. "But I'm not done there. I play another Spell card, _Giant Shuriken_, and equip it to _Ninja Kisaragi_!"

As Kenji played the card, a large, 4-pointed shuriken flew out of the card's image and flew around the field until _Kisaragi_ jumped into the air and grabbed it.

"When _Giant Shuriken_ is equipped to _Ninja Kisaragi_, she can attack my opponent directly!" Kenji explained, causing Raizou to gasp. "_Ninja Kisaragi_, direct attack! **Wind Shear!!**"

_Kisaragi_ jumped to her feet and, with blinding speed, ran right past Raizou's _Stone Statue Of The Aztecs_ and slashed Raizou with the large shuriken.

Kenji: 4000

Raizou: 1400

"And now for _Ninja Kisaragi_'s second effect! When she deals damage to my opponent's Life Points, I get to take one random card from your hand and add it to my own," Kenji explained as the ninja girl swiped a card out of Raizou's hand and threw it to Kenji, who caught it as _Kisaragi_ jumped back to her spot and a grin appeared on Kenji's face when he looked at the new card. '_Exactly what I was hoping for._'

"Hey, give that back!" Raizou shouted.

"Don't worry, you'll get your card back by the end of my turn," Kenji said as he swapped the card he had taken for the card remaining from his starting hand. "But first I'll play my Spell card, _Mystical Space Typhoon_! With it, I'll destroy one of my _Fuhma Shuriken_ Spell cards!"

As Kenji played a card, a gust of wind erupted upward from under one of the mentioned Spell cards and destroyed it.

"And now for the second effect of my Spell card. When _Fuhma Shuriken_ is destroyed, it deals 700 points of direct damage to my opponent's Life Points!" Kenji explained as _Ninja Kisaragi_ grabbed one of the shuriken from her waist and threw it at Raizou's Duel Disk.

Kenji: 4000

Raizou: 700

"Now I'll play the card I took from you. The Spell card, _Mystical Space Typhoon_!" as Kenji played the next card, a second _Mystical Space Typhoon_, the one _Kisaragi_ had taken from Raizou, appeared. "And I'll use it to destroy a second _Fuhma Shuriken_!"

And like last time, Kenji's equip card dissolved and _Ninja Kisaragi_ threw a second shuriken at Raizou's Duel Disk, this time the force of it caused his the fall onto his back as his Life Points fell.

Kenji: 4000 (Winner)

Raizou: 0

'_First Turn Kill,_' Kenji said in his head as his Duel Disk shut off and he walked towards the bleachers to take a seat.

"That was an excellent duel, Kenji-_kun_," Kenji heard someone say from behind him, to which he looked up and saw both Misawa and Hideko.

"Well, it felt good to take down that kiss-ass of Manjoume's. So how did you two do?" Kenji asked. "Did you win?"

Both Misawa and Hideko smiled and nodded, allowing Kenji to grin.

"And what about Sho-_kun_?" Kenji asked, but at the sound of a defeated sigh, Kenji, Misawa and Hideko turned around to see Sho sulking a little in his seat.

"Poor guy," Hideko said sympathetically.

"Maybe he just needs a little more confidence," Misawa figured, but then the four of them heard someone gasp in shock, causing them to look to the arena floor and see Judai staring at the monitor that paired the duelists and instantly saw something wrong.

"What the?!" Hideko wondered.

"That shouldn't be possible!" Kenji shouted.

"Why am I dueling Manjoume?" Judai asked.

"Since you scored so well on the entry exam, you wouldn't match up evenly against any Osiris Red student," Professor Chronos said as walked towards the dueling field that Judai and Manjoume were on, apparently praising Judai. "Which is why we have judged that Signore Manjoume is a much more suitable opponent for you. Of course, if you win, you will be promoted to Ra Yellow. So, how does that sound to you, Yuki Judai-_kun_?"

'_What is going on here? Chronos-sensei is _praising_ Judai? I wonder what he's planning,_' Kenji thought to himself as he took a seat along with Hideko, Misawa and Sho.

"Will you accept this offer?" Chronos asked the Osiris student.

'_I knew that Big Bro was awesome,_' Sho thought to himself.

'_If Judai wins, he'll be in the same dorm I am. He just enrolled here and already he's…_' Misawa started thinking, but his train of thought was lost at Judai's answer to Chronos' question.

"Fine by me!" Judai said with his usual enthusiasm. "I want to duel against all kinds of people. I want to take on challenges, no matter who they're from!"

"Then, you'll accept the duel with Signore Manjoume?" Professor Chronos asked to be certain.

"All right. I'm going to settle what we started before," Manjoume said, referring to the midnight duel the two of them had on their first day.

"Yeah!" Judai agreed as both he and Manjoume shuffled their decks and slide them into their Duel Disks while Chronos ran off the field.

"Duel!"

Judai: 4000

Manjoume: 4000

"Let's go, Manjoume!" Judai challenged.

"It's Manjoume-_san_!"

"I'll go first. Draw!" Judai said as he pulled six cards while Manjoume pulled five.

"_Kuri kuri!_" Judai heard a familiar voice chirp as he drew his sixth card, causing his to look at it and see none other than _Winged Kuriboh_.

"So it's you, _Winged Kuriboh_?" Judai spoke to his card before a grin appeared on his face. '_Parnter… you coming out right from the jump is reassuring. In that case, I'll…_' "I summon _Elemental Hero Clayman_ in Defense mode!"

As Judai played his card, the warrior of stone appeared on the field in a defensive stance. (800/2000)

"I end my turn," Judai said, a grin on his face.

Judai's hand: 5

"Your worthless Hero deck full of smallfries… I'll show you just how fragile you are! My turn. Draw!" Manjoume said, pulling his sixth card. '_And already, it's a rare card I got from Professor Chronos…_' "I activate the Spell card, _Magical Mallet_!"

"What?!" Judai shouted in shock, surprised Manjoume would have such a rare card.

"By shuffling this card, along with any cards I don't want in my hand, back into my deck, I'll draw that many new cards! And now, I'll…" Manjoume explained as he held out four cards.

"Huh? He's going to replace that many cards?!" Sho shouted in confusion.

"If you can drop any cards from your hand you don't want and replace them, your chances of getting the cards you want into your hand gets higher," Misawa explained further.

'_It's possible he had a bad starting hand. Or maybe it's for something else,_' Kenji thought to himself as Manjoume shuffled the cards into his deck and redrew.

"What's more, the _Magical Mallet_ isn't a one-time use card. Since it'll keep returning to my deck, it'll keep going right back into my hand!" Manjoume said as he showed the Spell card once more after redrawing it, causing Judai to gasp in shock. "I activate the _Magical Mallet_ again! I'll return _Magical Mallet_ and another card into my deck and draw two cards again!"

Manjoume shuffled the cards back into his deck and drew two more.

"Come forth! I summon _V-Tiger Jet_ in Attack mode!" Manjoume announced as he played the card.

From the card came a machine with a tiger-like body painted yellow with black stripes, its wings and propulsion systems a greenish color. (1600/1800)

"Next, from my hand, I activate the Continuous Spell, _Frontline Base_! Once each turn, I can special-summon a Level-4 or less monster from my hand!" Manjoume explained after he played the card. "And this turn, I'll special-summon _W-Wing Catapult_ in Attack mode! Come forth! _W-Wing Catapult_!"

As Manjoume played the card, a blue jet appeared next to the _V-Tiger Jet_. (1300/1500)

"And then, I fuse it with _V-Tiger Jet_!" Manjoume announced as the two machines took to the air before they combined together, the _V-Tiger Jet_ attaching to the top of the _W-Wing Catapult_, somewhat creating a new monster. (2000/2100) "_VW-Tiger Catapult_!"

Judai was just in awe at this display.

"But how could it fuse when he didn't use _Polymerization_?" Sho asked.

"_Polymerization_ isn't required for those monsters to fuse," Misawa explained.

"Shock, are you, Judai?" Manjoume asked. "However, my turn has far from ended yet. Next, I activate _VW-Tiger Catapult_'s special effect! By discarding a card in my hand, it switches an opponent's monster into Attack mode!"

"What?!" Judai shouted, once again shocked, but so were all the spectators.

"No fair! If his 800-ATK _Clayman_ gets hit with an attack…" Sho said in worry as Judai's monster slowly rose to his feet.

"Here I go, Judai! VW-Tiger Missiles, fire! Eradicate _Clayman_!" Manjoume declared, his monster firing a barrage of missiles at the stone monster and destroying it in the ensuing explosions.

Judai: 2800

Manjoume: 4000

"Big Bro!" Sho said, still worried for Judai's predicament.

"Bravo! Signore Manjoume has certainly mastered the tactics he's added in to their fullest!" Professor Chronos said as he looked out the window of a viewing room while Principal Samejima just watched the duel.

"I place a card face-down to finish my turn!" Manjoume said and he placed a card into his Duel Disk.

Manjoume's hand: 3

"That's nothing! The duel has just begun! Here goes. My turn. Draw!" Judai said, pulling his next card. "I summon _Elemental Hero Sparkman_ in Defense mode!"

As Judai played his card, the electric warrior appeared on the field, crouching down and crossing his arms in a defensive stance. (1600/1400)

"I place a card face-down to end my turn," Judai said as a card appeared behind _Sparkman_.

Judai's hand: 4

"Huh? Defense mode isn't like Big Bro at all…" Sho said, feeling something was out of place.

"With what he's facing at 2000 ATK, it must be the only thing he can do," Misawa figured.

"And with _Tiger Catapult_'s effect to make Judai's monsters switch to Attack mode, Judai doesn't have many monsters with the ATK to stand against it," Hideko added.

"B-But…" Sho started, thinking there had to be _something_ his Big Bro could do.

'_Judai, this can't be all you've got…_' Asuka thought to herself as she watched the duel from her seat, away from the others.

"My turn. Draw!" Manjoume said, pulling his next card. "I summon _X-Head Cannon_ in Attack mode!"

The monster that appeared was humanoid, but had no legs or feet and its waist as a large spiked ball as two cannon were attached to its shoulders. (1800/1500)

"Next, with the effect of the Continuous Spell, _Frontline Base_, I special-summon _Z-Metal Tank_!" Manjoume said as a yellow machine with treadmill tires and an eye in the center of its body appeared. (1500/1300)

"Y-You couldn't…!" Judai said, the worst-case scenario playing in his head.

"Since he has _X_ and _Z_, that means the only card left is…!" Sho said, wondering if Manjoume really had that last card left.

"With what's been happening so far, I wouldn't doubt that he has it," Kenji said, gritting his teeth a little. '_If he really does have_ Y_, then Judai's going to be in a world of trouble._'

"Reverse card, open!" Manjoume shouted as his facedown card rose. "I can use this _Call Of The Haunted_'s effect to revive a Monster card from my Graveyard! And that monster is…"

A flash of yellow light erupted onto the field, slowly taking the form of a red mechanical dragon. (1500/1600)

"It's _Y_!" Sho shouted as the final monster appeared on the field.

"T-This is bad!" Misawa shouted, now just as worried as Sho.

'Y-Dragon Head_. So he _did_ have it after all. Judai's going to need all the luck he can get. That, or he needs to pull off a miracle,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"Here we go, Judai! I combine _X_, _Y_, and _Z_ together!" Manjoume announced as the three mentioned monsters flew into the air an combined, _Z_ forming the bottom, _Y_ the middle, and _X_ the head and arms, creating an all-new monster. (2800/2600) "_XYZ-Dragon Cannon_!"

"There are two monsters on the field with an ATK of 2000 or higher…" Misawa said as he surveyed the field. "Does Judai have any chance of winning now?"

"And if I remember right, those two monsters can combine into something stronger," Kenji stated.

"No way!" Hideko said in shock.

"There's more!" Manjoume announced, shocking Judai once again. "I'm not done yet! I'm going to use my _WV-Tiger Catapult_ and my _XYZ-Dragon Cannon_ for a Combination Summon again!"

"Again!?" Judai repeated.

"Here it comes!" Kenji said.

Manjoume's two monsters flew into the air and split apart, only to re-connect again in different combinations until a single, hulking humanoid machine with wings stood on the field. (3000/2800)

"This is my _V-to-Z Dragon Catapult Cannon_!" Manjoume introduced his monster, shocking everyone. "And _V-to-Z_'s special ability activates!"

Judai could only watch as his _Elemental Hero Sparkman_ slowly vanished from the field.

"_Sparkman_…!" Judai called out to his vanished monster.

"A pity, isn't it, Judai?" Manjoume asked as Judai only looked up at the hulking machine in shock. "_V-to-Z_ is able to remove an opponent's card once per turn. Taste and savior it. The sadness of the one who has nothing…"

"This is simply the best! That dropout boy will be _dropping_ any moment now!" Chronos said, cheering for Manjoume.

"Go, _V-to-Z_! Attack that player directly!" Manjoume commanded, pointing directly at Judai.

"Hold it! Reverse Trap, open!" Judai announced as his face-down card rose. "_A Hero Emerges_!"

"What?" Professor Chronos wondered about the card Judai played.

"_A Hero Emerges_?" Manjoume repeated.

"If the card my opponent chooses is a Monster card, this card can summon it to my field!" Judai explained as he held up his four cards. "C'mon and choose, Manjoume!"

"It's Manjoume-_san_!" Manjoume corrected the Osiris. "The leftmost card!"

Judai skimmed through his hand until he reached the card to his far left.

"Lucky! I summon this card, _Burstinatrix_, in Defense mode!" Judai announced as he played the card, his female warrior of fire appearing in a defensive stance. (1200/800)

"I won't let it be in Defense mode! When _V-to-Z_ attacks, the monster's battle mode is completely up to me!" Manjoume explained as his monster aimed its cannons at the female Hero while she rose to her feet. "_V-to-Z_! **Ultimate Destruction!! **Attack _Burstinatrix_!"

At the call of its attack, _V-to-Z_ fired its cannons, instantly destroying the _Elemental Hero_.

Judai: 1000

Manjoume: 4000

"Big Bro!" Sho shouted.

"I end my turn," Manjoume said. "Once again, you're totally exposed. You don't have a single monster on your field."

Manjoume's hand: 2

"I… believe in my deck. As long as there are monsters that'll fight by my side until the very end in here, I'll keep on fighting! Draw!" Judai said, pulling his next card, but when he looked at the card, his eyes widened. '_T-This is…_'

**

* * *

(Flashback start)**

"Come on over here… I nabbed this for you!" Tome said while laughing before pulling a pack of cards out of her pocket and held it out for Judai. "This is my thanks for helping me push my car. Because I thought an Osiris Red fellow like you probably doesn't have a single rare card."

**(Flashback end)**

* * *

"_Kuri kuri!_" Judai heard his Partner squeak.

"_Winged Kuriboh_, do you sense something?" Judai asked his card.

"_Kuri kuri!_" the winged furball squeaked.

"Since you insist, I'll best everything on this card!" Judai said. "I summon _Winged Kuriboh_ in Defense mode!"

As Judai played his card, the familiar winged furball made its appearance. (300/200)

"Cu~tie!" all the females watching the duel cooed once _Winged Kuriboh_ appeared, and Hideko was no exception, though Asuka was probably the only one who didn't coo over the fluffy monster.

"Then, I set a card face-down and finish my turn!" Judai said as a card appeared behind _Winged Kuriboh_.

Judai's hand: 2

"Defense mode, again…" Sho said. "Have you run out of options, Big Bro?"

"It's not like he can do anything to that _Dragon Catapult Cannon_ by playing _Winged Kuriboh_ in Attack mode," Kenji stated.

'_No, that_ Winged Kuriboh is_ his option!_' Asuka mentally said in realization to Judai's plan.

"My turn. Draw!" Manjoume said, pulling his next card. "It's useless! Even if that annoying furball that reduces Battle Damage to 0 is there, _V-to-Z_'s special effect'll remove it!"

"Then just try it!" Judai dared.

"Wipe out that _Winged Kuriboh_, and then attack Judai directly! **Ultimate Destruction!!**" Manjoume ordered his monster, which fired its cannons at the small monster.

"He's done for!" Sho said, thinking Judai had nothing left up his sleeve. "His _Winged Kuriboh_ won't last a second against it!"

"Here it is, Partner! From my hand, I use two cards as a cost to activate _Transcendent Wings_!" Judai announced as he pushed two cards into the Graveyard and his facedown card slowly rose, showing an image of two angels, the smaller one having the larger wings than the one in the background.

"What?!" both Manjoume and Professor Chronos shouted in confusion as a giant pair of wings wrapped around _Winged Kuriboh_ and once they spread apart, the furball was wearing a gold helmet in the shape of a dragon. (300/200)

But when the attack from Manjoume's monster struck, _Winged Kuriboh_'s new wings wrapped around the small body, shielding it from the attack.

"W-What's happening?!" Manjoume questioned.

"Thanks to _Transcendent Wings_, _Winged Kuriboh_ evolves! Now, _Winged Kuriboh_'s a Level-10!" Judai explained, awing everyone watching. "His effect lets him sacrifice himself to destroy all monsters in Attack mode, dealing their ATK as damage to the opposing player! _Winged Kuriboh_, send all that energy right back at him!"

_Winged Kuriboh_ then exploded in a flash of light that expanded towards the _V-to-Z Dragon Catapult Cannon_, destroying it on impact before striking Manjoume.

Judai: 1000

Manjoume: 1000

"I end my turn!" Manjoume said in frustraition.

Manjoume's hand: 3

"Manjoume!" Judai called out, earning his opponent's attention. "Now our Lives are at 1000 points a piece. But it's be interesting if I draw a monster with an ATK of 1000 or higher, wouldn't it?"

"What crap are you spewing?! As if it'd be that simple!" Manjoume shouted.

"But it'd be interesting if I draw one, wouldn't it? My turn. Draw!" Judai said, pulling his next card. "I summon this card, _Elemental Hero Avian_, and I attack the player directly!"

As Judai played his card, the green, winged hero emerged. (1000/1000) Everyone gasped in either shock or awe before _Avian_ lunged forward and swiped its clawed hands at Manjoume, causing him to fall to his knees.

Judai: 1000 (winner)

Manjoume: 0

"You did it!!" Sho shouted as everyone cheered at the match. "You did it, Big Bro!!"

"To have that many rare cards and lose…" Chronos said as he just stared through the window of the viewing room.

"It appears that there _were_ grounds for him beating you, Professor Chronos," Principal Samejima said, causing the blonde teacher to freak out a little.

"You really _must_ excuse me!" Chronos said as he walked away while Samejima chuckled and looked through the window.

"Gotcha!" Judai said while doing his signature pose of striking out his right arm and pointing his index and middle fingers at Manjoume. "That sure was a fun duel!"

"Judai…" Manjoume seethed as he glared at the Osiris student.

"Hey! Hey, Big Bro!" Sho shouted as he ran towards Judai and Misawa, Kenji, and Hideko walked behind him.

"You have shown me, Yuki Judai," Samejima said over the P/A system, earning everyone's attention. "Your trust in your deck, your passionate friendship with your monsters, and most importantly, a dueling soul that never gives up in a fight… These are things I'm sure everyone here has acknowledged. So, as the winner, Yuki-kun, you are being promoted to Ra Yellow!"

"Congratulations!" everyone still in their seats cheered. "Good going, Judai!"

"You're incredible! You're just awesome, Big Bro!" Sho congratulated the E-Hero duelist before hugging him. "You've overwhelmed me!"

"Aren't I though?" Judai laughed.

"Yuki Judai, congratulations, and let me be the first to officially welcome you to Ra Yellow," Misawa said.

"And let me be the second," Hideko said.

"And allow me to congratulate you on making it one step closer to Obelisk Blue," Kenji said.

"Yeah!" Judai said as the three of them took turns shaking Judai's hand.

"Cangratulations!" the spectators shouted once more as confetti rained onto the field. "You did it! Congratulations! Nice going!"

'_So, now, Big Bro is an official Ra Yellow student. It's gonna be lonely being separated from my Big Bro, but… I suppose this is all for the best,_' Sho mentally said to himself while looking at Judai in admiration while Judai waved to the spectators. '_Congratulations, Big Bro… Congratulations!_'

* * *

Later that day, after the test was officially over, everyone went back to their dorms. But at the Osiris Red dorm, Hayato and Sho were sitting in the silence until Hayato spoke up.

"Pretty strange…" Hayato started. "There's no way a guy could switch from Osiris Red so quickly, after all."

"That may be, but Big Bro's already of in Ra Yellow…" Sho said, a little depressed that Judai wasn't around, that is, until the door swung open and none other than Yuki Judai walked in.

"'Sup, guys!" Judai greeted his friends.

"'Sup… guys…?" Sho repeated before realizing that Judai was not only in the dormroom, but also still in his Osiris Red blazer. "Big Bro! What're you doing here?"

"Why am I here? This is my room, you know," Judai answered plainly. "Where's the harm in me coming back to my own room? That's right! I like it here! I like Osiris Red, the same red as seething flames, boiling blood, and fervent zeal! I never _ever_ plan on leaving it!"

"Big Bro!!" Sho shouted as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on and ran up to Judai and hugged him, tears streaming down his face.

"You dummy! Let go of me, SHo! You're smothering me!" Judai shouted, but Sho didn't ease his grip.

"I'm so happy, Big Bro! To think that we still get to stay together!" Sho cried happily.

"Hey!"

"Please, just let me cry for today!"

"Aah! Back off!" Judai shouted as he tried to push Sho off him.

"Big Bro! I'm going to follow you forever!" Sho continued to cry, still not easing his grip.

"I don't care if you'll follow me, just back off!" Judai shouted while still trying to push Sho off him before he started to laugh. "I guess you'd call this "Passion Red"!"

"Big Brooo!!" Sho continued to cry.

* * *

**A/N: And another chapter finished. SOrry for the abrupt end, but it is how the episode ended. Also, as to the mentioning of Jean-Claude Magnum, his name remains the same between both the Japanese and English versions, but his name is pronounced differently in the Japanese versions.**

**Next Time: The Osiris Red students spend a night telling ghost stories when Daitokuji-sensei tells a story about an old dormitory where students have disappeared. Judai plans to take Sho and Hayato to check it out, but when a Shadow Duelist carrying the Millennium Puzzle appears and kidnaps Asuka, the Shadow Games make their return. Will Judai be able to save her? And why is Kenji there when he wasn't invited? Stay tuned.**

**Please R&R, everyone!**


	5. Duel Of Darkness!

**A/N: Hey everyone, and welcome back to chapter 5 of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX: Duel Academia Legends! First, I want to apologize for this chapter taking so long, but I had a LOT of trouble editing the duel against Titan (I was stuck on the first turn for WEEKS trying to think of how to make the duel go by smoothly). Anyway, now that it's up I hope you all enjoy since this chapter essentially takes up 2 episodes (since the duel with Titan was 2 episodes long).**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Yu-Gi-Oh! series or its characters. I do, however, own Yuuyami Kenji while Sumoi Hideko is owned by Moroko-chan.**

**

* * *

Turn 5: Game Of Darkness!**

This night on the Duel Academia island was a night with a full moon, and deep in the forest stood a run-down building that could resemble a dorm of some sort. The entrance had a "Do Not Enter" sign chained across the gate and standing in front of it was Tenjouin Asuka. The Obelisk Blue girl walked closer to the gate, but instead of entering, she knelt down by one of the stone pillars and placed a single red rose on the ground before standing back up and staring at the ruined building.

* * *

While Asuka was paying her visit to the old building, Judai, Sho, and Hayato were telling ghost stories in the Osiris Dorm and Sho was about to start his turn as the three boys sat at a table, using only a candle for light and a deck of cards in front of them.

"On a cliff on the north part of this island, there's a cave," Sho started to catch his roommates' attentions.

"Yeah, go on," Judai said, apparently eager for a spooking.

"Mm-hm," Hayato agreed.

"Deep in the cave is a small inlet, and when night falls, moonlight will shine in from the ceiling," Sho continued.

"Yeah? Yeah?" Judai said, wanted Sho to keep going with the story.

"Then, when you look in at the bottom of the inlet, a card you want shows up in the bottom of the water. And they say when you reach for it, you'll suddenly get yourself pulled into the ocean!" Sho shouted the last sentence while acting out being pulled under the water.

"I wanna go see that inlet!" Judai said, not even the least bit scared.

"Big Bro, aren't you mixed up?" Sho asked, wondering why Judai wasn't scared, but Hayato had run to the other end of the room and hugged the leg of a table in fear. "I just told you a _scary_ story."

Judai just looked a little disbelieving as he picked up a card in front of Sho.

"Well, I guess that's the best a Level-4 story can offer, huh?" Judai asked before he put the card down and reached for the top of the deck. "Right, it's my turn."

Judai pulled the card and looked at it.

"Oh, _Killer Snake_, huh?" Judai read the card's name.

"Tch, a Level-1? Must be nice making up an easy story…" Sho figured as Hayato returned to his seat.

"Let's see… my Level-1 story…" Judai started to think as he put the card on the table. "Hmm… come to think of it, back when I was a tyke, when night came around, I could hear my monster's voices. Just like the fairies you'd see in fairy tales. I thought the monsters would come out of their cards to have parties and stuff while I was sleeping. When I woke up in the dead of night, I would open my card case."

"And?" Sho asked, both he and Hayato intrigued by the story.

"Absolutely nada," Judai answered.

"Oh, _come on_…" both Sho and Hayato said, unsatisfied at a non-scary ending to the story, even if it was a Level-1.

"But, you know, lately I'm able to hear 'em again…" Judai said as he remembered back to the moments he drew or played _Winged Kuriboh_ during a duel.

"What are you all doing-_nya_?" Professor Daitokuji asked with a laugh as he stood behind Judai while holding Pharaoh, accidently scaring everyone by making Hayato run back to the corner of the room, making Sho fall off his chair and grab the table, and though Judai was still in his chair, he was gripping the edge of the table with a scared look on his face.

"You scared us!" Sho shouted.

"Please don't scare us like that…" Judai pleaded.

"Professor Daitokuji!"

"Huh?" the Osiris Dorm Leader wondered what was up with his students as he sweatdropped.

"Professor, we're playing a game where you tell a scary story equal to the Level of the card you draw," Sho explained as he straightened his glasses while Hayato was still hugging the wall.

"That sounds like fun-_nya_! Now, let's see here… I'll do it too…" Daitokuji said as he held Pharaoh with his left arm and drew the top card with his right hand, flipping it over so everyone could see it.

The rare and powerful Level-12 _Five God Dragon_.

"T-There it is! A Level-12!" Judai said, shocked that Daitokuji managed to draw the card.

"Please give us the best you've got, sir!" Sho said, giving the Dorm Leader to go-ahead and causing Daitokuji to laugh a little.

"Come to think of it, are you aware that there is an abandoned dorm deep within this island-_nya_?" Daitokuji asked.

"Abandoned dorm?" Judai repeated.

"Yes. Apparently, it was a dorm for the academy's honor students long ago, but… every single student in that dorm went missing-_nya_," Daitokuji explained.

"Really?" Sho asked.

"I heard they were doing all sorts of research concerning the Games of Darkness in that dorm-_nya_," Daitokuji further explained.

"G-Games of Darkness?" Hayato repeated, still in the corner of the room in fear.

"I'm referring to horrible games that were activated by legendary items-_nya_," Daitokuji answered.

"The _Millennium_ Items, right?" Judai asked, now completely bored. "But it's all just superstition, isn't it?"

"I don't know if it's true, either-_nya_," Daitokuji answered with a laugh as he readjusted his glasses. "By the time I came to this academy, that dorm had been made off-limits-_nya_."

Pharaoh then let out a tired meow, prompting Daitokuji it was time to go as the teacher stood up from sitting on a table he had pulled over.

"It's about time we get back to our rooms-_nya_," Daitokuji said. "Well then, good night."

"Yes, sir…" Judai and Sho said as their Dorm Leader left.

"Man, I wonder if there's really a place like that on this island," Sho said.

"Sounds fun! Let's go take a look tomorrow night!" Judai said, full of excitement and enthusiasm.

"Huh?" Sho wondered as Hayato moved back to the table, standing behind Sho.

"I'm a bit scared, but I'd like to go, too," Hayato said, scaring the short Osiris student a bit.

"All right! It's settled!" Judai declared.

"It's settled…!" Hayato said in agreement.

"Yeah…" Sho said, but wasn't very entertained by the idea.

But what the three students didn't know was that they were being watched and their conversation was overheard by none other than Professor Chronos.

"Bravo! The Games of Darkness!" Chronos said to himself, finally getting an idea to expel Judai. "I almost forgot about that approach! If I use those rumors to make the dropout boy disappear, no one will suspect anything!"

* * *

At the same time, in an alleyway in Domino City, a duel had just finished as fog covered the ground. A tall man wearing a black trench coat and a strange pair of shades held up a familiar upside-down golden pyramid that was tied around his neck like a necklace. A light shone from the pyramid as the man's opponent, a bald man wearing glasses, was clutching his chest in pain.

"This is a Game of Darkness…" the man painfully said as he looked at his opponent and the eye that rested in the center of the pyramid.

"Take this. Mind Crush!" the tall man shouted as a flash of light erupted from the pyramid.

The bald man tried to block out the light by raising his arms, but soon his body became limp and fell to the ground.

"You shall leave all of your rare cards here," the dark-clothed man said as he put the gold pyramid into the coat and walked up to his opponent. "They are no longer of use to you, anyway."

As the tall man stood before his fallen opponent, his cell phone started to ring, causing him to stop and answer it.

"Yes, I am the Dark Duelist, Titan," the man answered on the phone and listened to what the person on the other end of the line wanted. "Duel Academia?"

* * *

The following morning, Judai and Sho were fast asleep in Professor Daitokuji's class, two other students glaring at them because of the snoring. But what no one knew was that Professor Chronos was once again peeking into the room as he quietly laughed to himself.

"Sleep well, now. It will be the last dream you ever have, anyway. _Totocalcio_…" Chronos said to himself before sneaking away from the room.

* * *

After the class, Judai and Sho went back to the Osiris Dorm to meet up with Hayato, but Kenji had decided to make a stop at the card shop to try his luck. As he walked up to the counter, Tome greeted him.

"Oh, hello there, Kenji-_kun_," Tome said.

"Hello, Tome-_san_," Kenji greeted.

"Getting some new cards?" Tome asked.

"I figured I'd try my luck at getting some more Ninja cards," Kenji explained.

"Well you're in luck. We just got a new set that you might be interested in," Tome said as she walked into the back room, only to walk back out with a box of card packs that Kenji hadn't seen yet.

When Tome put the box on the counter, Kenji took a look at the pack name.

"Shadow Assassins?" Kenji read, looking at the picture of some Ninja monsters like _Ninja Katana_ and _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_, but also had some Ninja cards that Kenji hadn't seen before. "I guess I'll give some of these a try. I'll take four, please."

Tome handed Kenji four packs of the new set as the Ninja duelist paid for them.

"Thank you, Tome-_san_," Kenji said with a bow before leaving.

As Kenji left the shop, he started to open the new packs of cards. As he skimmed through them, several were of Ninja cards he already owned.

"Maybe I shouldn't have gotten these," Kenji said, but as he continued to flip through the cards, he spotted a few that he didn't have and skimmed over their names and effects. "Here we go. I'll be sure to take these ones for a spin sometime."

* * *

Later that night, as Judai, Sho, and Hayato were preparing for their trek to find the abandoned dorm, Professor Chronos stood at the docks, turning around when he heard someone approach him to see a tall man dressed in a black trench coat and a hat with a bizarre pair of shades.

"Oh, you must be the self-proclaimed Dark Duelist," Chronos said to the man.

"Let's get right to discussing my appearance fee," the man said as a fog seeped out of a briefcase he was holding and started to spread across the docks. "My appearance fee is a flat rate. It has nothing to do with whatever circumstances my client might have. It's always worth three months of my client's salary."

"I think that's _very_ related to your client's circumstances…" Chronos muttered as the fog from Titan's briefcase slowly reached out towards Chronos' feet. "Whatever… More importantly, will you get the job done?"

"I'm a pro. I never turn my back on my enemies," Titan answered, but then Professor Chronos started walking around Titan, causing the Dark Duelist to keep turning around so the Professor was always in front of him.

"_Yokobai? Rarabai?_" Professor Chronos started muttering.

"Just leave it to me… You just come when the duel is over," Titan said as he slid backwards away from Professor Chronos and away from the dock while the fog faded.

"He _isn't_ turning his back…" Chronos said to himself, seeing Titan keep to his word of never turning his back to his opponents, but the Obelisk teacher merely chuckled. "My, he _is_ a professional."

* * *

"Still, I wasn't expecting that Hayato would show up with us," Judai said as he, Sho and Hayato walked through the island's forest. "You even think showing up in class is a hassle."

"It's not that I don't like staying home or studying, it's just…" Hayato started.

"Just what?" Judai asked.

"I don't like classes that only teach you how to win duels…" Hayato answered.

"Is there any other way to study dueling, besides how to win?" Sho asked.

"Um… I'm sure there are!" Hayato answered, though rather hesitantly. "Take the Games of Darkness, for example."

"The Games of Darkness, huh?" Judai asked, already starting to get bored from just hearing the name.

It didn't take much longer for the Osiris boys to reach the abandoned dorm and the first thing the flashlight caught, which Judai was holding, was a single red rose on the ground in front of one of the stone pillars of the gate.

"That flower…" Judai said, surprised to see something so out of place in that spot.

"This looks scary!" Sho said, already starting to freak out. "Big Bro, I think we should just give up!"

"What are you talking about?" Judai asked. "How can we give up after coming this far?"

But then the three of them heard something snap nearby, making Sho and Hayato jump.

"I-It's here!" both students shouted in fear.

Judai turned and pointed the flashlight in the direction of the sound, but revealed by the light was…

"Asuka!" Judai said as he saw the Obelisk girl pointing a flashlight at the Osiris group.

"A-Asuka-_san_!" Sho said, both he and Hayato having jumped onto Judai's back for safety, but then Judai threw them both off.

"Why are you here, Asuka?" Judai asked as Sho and Hayato got back to their feet.

"That's my line. What are all of _you_ doing here?" Asuka asked back.

"We're doing a little night exploration," Judai answered plainly.

"None of you know how many students have gone missing here?" Asuka asked.

"I don't believe in that superstition," Judai said, thinking Asuka was just trying to get them to go back to their dorm.

"The stories of this dorm are true," Asuka said. "It isn't a place to come to half in sport. Besides, it's supposed to be off-limits. If the academy knows about this, it'll raise some noise."

"We wouldn't be exploring if we were afraid of that," Judai said, a smirk on his face.

"Listen to me, _seriously_!" Asuka shouted.

"What? Stop giving us such a hard time," Judai said, wondering what Asuka was getting so worked up over. "And _you_ never answered our question! What are you doing here?"

"Do what you want…" Asuka said defeatedly and walked away without giving Judai an answer.

"Asuka-_san_…" Sho said, feeling something might be wrong and causing Asuka to stop before she got too far.

"My brother was one of the students that disappeared here," Asuka said to answer Judai's question.

"Huh?" the three Osiris students said in shock at this.

Judai then looked back at the rose that was on the ground as Asuka resumed walking away.

'_So, that's it. Asuka set that rose over there…_' Judai thought to himself as he figured the reason behind the rose being outside the run-down dorm.

"Big bro, about what Asuka-_san_ just said…" Sho said, starting to get worried. "I thought the stuff about this place was made up…"

"Well, we'll know once we go in. Let's go," Judai said as he walked through the gate.

"R-Right," Hayato agreed as he followed behind the brown-haired boy, but Sho stayed behind.

"You waiting there?" Judai called out to Sho as he and Hayato walked towards the dorm's doors.

"Huh?" Sho shouted before looking to see if anyone else was around. "Wait up! I'm coming, too!"

Sho then ran through the gate to catch up with Judai and Hayato.

But Asuka watched the boys go into the dorm as she stood by a tree. Letting out a sigh, she turned to walk away when a large shadow suddenly appeared in front of her. Asuka was too scared to move, her eyes widened in fear by Titan's presence. Titan merely smirked before knocking the Obelisk girl unconscious, causing nearby birds to fly out of their trees. But nearby, someone heard the noise caused by the birds.

'_Something's not right here,_' the person thought to themself as they sat on a tree branch. '_Might as well see what's going on._'

The person then jumped off the tree branch, landed on another and jumping from tree to tree, unknowingly heading towards the abandoned dorm. But upon reaching their destination, the person spotted a piece of blue fabric on the ground.

"What the?" the figure asked themself as they got closer to the fabric.

As the figure walked closer to the fabric, the moonlight revealed the figure was none other than Kenji. Kenji knelt down and picked up the blue fabric.

'_This is from an Obelisk Blue uniform!_' Kenji figured as he held the fabric to the blue of his own blazer just to check. '_Someone from our dorm's in trouble._'

Kenji then stood up and looked at the decaying dorm.

'_No better place for someone to hide,_' Kenji thought to himself as he ran through the front doors as fast as he could.

* * *

A few rooms into the run-down dorm and the three Osiris students saw the walls covered with a lot of carvings and pictures.

"It may be all dusty, but it's a major difference from Osiris Red, huh?" Judai said. "Wanna move here instead?"

"Cut that out, Big Bro! I absolutely _won't_!" Sho said, still scared from what both Professor Daitokuji and Asuka had said about the dorm.

"Same here," Hayato said, agreeing with Sho.

Judai, Sho and Hayato then pointed their flashlights around the room, the light landing on carvings of seven familiar items.

"D-Did they really play Games of Darkness here?" Hayato asked to no one in particular.

"T-That's just superstition!" Sho said, wanting to believe Judai.

"Huh… there were seven of those Millennium Items…" Judai said as he went through the carvings on the walls.

The three Osiris students then heard something rush by. When they turned around to point their flashlights, they only saw a shadow run along the wall, freaking out Sho and Hayato a little.

"W-What was that?" Sho asked.

Judai continued to look for where the shadow went, but his flashlight stopped at a picture hanging on the wall. The picture was of a young man with long brown hair wearing a white blazer lined with blue. Written on picture was "FUBUKI 10 JOIN".

"Is this…?" Judai started to ask himself as he walked closer to the picture and focused the flashlight on the writing.

* * *

Somewhere else, deep in the dorm, Asuka slowly opened her eyes and found her arms were tied together at the wrists.

"What's this?" Asuka shouted, hoping someone would answer, to which she heard laughing before finding out she was placed inside a coffin and even her legs were tied together at her ankles.

"You're going to be the bait that will lure out Yuki Judai," a voice echoed through the room, barely answering Asuka's question.

"Who's there?" Asuka asked the voice.

Instead of the voice answering back, Asuka was met with a blinding flash of light, causing her to scream as she closed her eyes to try and block out the light.

* * *

Judai, Sho and Hayato stopped what they were doing due to the scream echoing through the dorm.

"Big Bro! That voice just now…!" Sho said.

"I know! Let's go!" Judai said, the three boys running towards the source of the scream.

* * *

But they weren't the only ones. The shadow that had run past the Osiris boys had also stopped and stood right under a source of light, revealing the shadow to be Kenji.

'_That voice… Asuka!_' Kenji shouted in his head before looking around to try finding where the voice came from.

But Kenji heard footsteps approaching from where he had come from, prompting him to turn around and reach back with one hand as he waited for whatever the footsteps belonged to. As the footsteps drew closer, Kenji reached his hand into the pouch that rested around his waist and when he saw light around the corner, Kenji threw something out of the pouch, which struck the wall and caused whatever had the light to yell out, but when Kenji realized it was three sets of voices, he relaxed himself a little.

"Wait a minute… Judai-_kun_? Sho-_kun_?" Kenji asked.

Sure enough, Sho's head poked around the corner and he looked right at Kenji.

"Kenji-_kun_?" Sho asked, wondering why the Ninja duelist was there.

At Kenji's name, Judai and Hayato also looked around the corner.

"What are you doing here?" Judai asked.

"I'd like to ask you three the same thing," Kenji asked as he walked towards the three boys and pulled out the shuriken he had thrown from his pouch out of the wall.

"We just came here to have a look around, but then we heard a scream," Judai answered.

"I see. I actually came here because I heard something from outside this building. I found this and came in here to look around," Kenji said as he pulled the piece of blue fabric out of his pocket.

"Then if the scream we heard belongs to who I think it does…" Judai started, to which Kenji slightly nodded.

"Then Asuka's in trouble. So let's hurry," Kenji said.

"Right," Judai agreed as he, Sho and Hayato nodded and the four students continued through the dorm until they reached a room with a set of stairs leading down one level.

The three Osiris students used their flashlights to look around the room, but Kenji stopped them when he saw a large amount of dust had been parted like something was dragged.

"Over there," Kenji said as he pointed at the spot, to which the three Osiris students pointed their flashlights and followed the parted dust.

They all looked at each other and nodded before either running down the stairs or jumping over the railing and following the trail. As they followed it, Kenji spotted a card lying on the floor and ran over to pick it up.

"_Etoile Cyber_?" Kenji read the card's name.

"That's Asuka's card!" Judai answered.

"There's marks of something being dragged away going that way," Hayato said as he pointed down a tunnel that looked like it led to a mineshaft.

"Asuka!" Judai shouted as the four boys ran down the tunnel.

"Asuka-_san_!" both Sho and Kenji shouted.

After running for a while down the tunnel, the four boys found themselves in a large room with large rocks with strange carvings in them. Rested up against some of the rocks was a coffin surrounded by a fog and inside the coffin was…

"Asuka!" Judai shouted, but the Obelisk girl didn't move and the room was filled with a terrible laughter.

"This one's soul has already sunk into a thick darkness," a voice said.

"Show yourself!" Kenji shouted.

As if in compliance, Titan's body rose up from the ground, the fog seeming to spill off his hat and coat.

"Welcome, Yuki Judai…" Titan greeted.

"Big Bro," Sho said.

"Who the hell are you?" Judai yelled.

"And what did you do to Asuka-_san_?" Kenji shouted.

"My name is Titan, the Dark Duelist, a controller of the Games of Darkness," Titan answered.

'_Games of Darkness?_' Kenji repeated in his head.

"Stop messing with me!" Judai demanded. "There's no such thing as Games of Darkness!"

"Once you get a taste of it, you'll understand, kid," Titan said as he started to flex his left hand. "This is a forbidden domain wherein none are allowed to step foot. I will deal punishment on those who break that vow."

"So it's _your_ fault that the people here have gone missing!" Judai assumed as Hayato reached into his backpack to pull out a Duel Disk, but Kenji had already stepped up, Duel Disk on his wrist.

"You're going to give us Asuka-_san_ back!" Kenji demanded.

"Huh? Kenji?" Judai and Sho asked.

"I will. If Yuki Judai can beat me in a Game of Darkness, that is…" Titan challenged.

"No way! You're facing me! You mess with an Obelisk, you _deal_ with an Obelisk!" Kenji challenged back.

"Hmph. Very well," Titan said, not really caring who he had to fight. "You'd better not regret this, kid."

As Titan lifted his left arm, his armlet released his own Duel Disk that resembled a metallic wing. Kenji shuffled his deck and slid it into his Duel Disk, causing it to activate. The Ninja duelist then glanced over at the coffin where Asuka was still unconscious.

'_I'm going to save you, Asuka-san,_' Kenji swore in his head before turning his attention back to Titan. "If you're really a Dark Duelist, then we'll make this an 8000 point duel."

"So you want to suffer. Very well then," Titan agreed as both duelists readjusted their Duel Disks.

"Duel!" both duelists shouted as they drew their starting hand of five.

Kenji: 8000

Titan: 8000

"I'll make the first move. Draw," Titan said as he brought his hand up to the device on his chest, which ejected a card in much the same fashion as Professor Chronos' Duel Coat. "I summon _Inferno-Queen Demon_ in Attack mode!"

As Titan played his card, a fiendish monster with yellow wings and wearing a purple robe-like dress appeared on the field. (900/1500)

"A Demon deck, huh?" Judai figured as he watched the duel.

"When this card is on the field, it increases the ATK of a "Demon" monster by 1000 points," Titan explained, as his monster grew stronger. (900-1900/1500)

"A Demon deck is a powerful one, but their effects force you to pay part of your Life during your Standby Phase while they're on the field to keep them out," Kenji pointed out, but Titan only chuckled.

"That is true, but it won't be necessary. Not in the presence of this card…" Titan said as he pulled another card from his hand and pushed it into a slot on his armlet. "Field Spell, activate!"

Titan's Duel Disk then released a flash of light, causing Judai, Sho and Hayato to look away while Kenji just raised his arm to block the light. When the four students could see again, the entire area had changed. The room had turned a slight shade of red as skeletal statues rose from the ground. The place now looked more like the lair of a terrible beast as a small pool of lava was placed in the center of the field.

"Where are we?" Judai asked.

"We'll just say it's the Edge of Hell, for now," Titan answered. "I've activated the Field Spell, _Pandemonium – The Den Of Demons_."

"Edge of Hell, my ass," Kenji said.

"_Pandemonium_?" Sho asked.

"This card will prevent the cost to maintain my Demon deck from happening and give monsters with "Demon" in their names the ability to be reborn when destroyed outside of battle," Titan explained.

'_So it's going to be even harder to beat this guy since he won't have to pay the cost of his monsters. But I've got just the counter for Fiend-type monsters. I just need to get the cards for it first,_' Kenji noted in his head as he scanned his hand.

"Now, it's your turn," Titan said.

Titan's hand: 4

"Whoa, now. If you're so concerned about the girl, then allow me to put her out of your sight," Titan said, noticing Kenji's glance towards Asuka and the coffin, as he pressed something on his armlet, causing the coffin Asuka was in to close and sink into the ground.

"Asuka-_san_!" Kenji shouted before growling a bit at Titan.

"That's low!" Hayato shouted.

"You coward!" Sho shouted as well.

"Say what you will. This is a Game of Darkness," Titan said. "If you prefer, I'll make you disappear, as well!"

Hayato and Sho backed away, but Judai stayed right where he was.

"Just try it! I'm not afraid!" Judai shouted.

"No, Judai. This is my fight. So I'm just going to have to win, aren't I… Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his sixth card. '_I don't have anything strong enough to take on 1900 ATK points, so I'll just have to make due._' "I summon _Ninja Kisaragi_ in Defense mode!"

As Kenji played his card, the young female ninja appeared and crouched down, but didn't take a defensive stance. (500/2000)

'_And for some extra security…_' "I set one card face-down. Turn end!" Kenji said as a reversed card appeared behind his female ninja.

Kenji's hand: 4

"It's my turn. Draw," Titan said as he drew his next card. "I'll summon _Genocide-King Demon_ this time."

As Titan slapped his card onto his Duel Disk, a monster with red skin and what looked like yellow skeletal armor with yellow wings appeared in a burst of electricity. (2000/1500)

"_Genocide-King Demon_ cannot be summoned unless a "Demon" monster is on my field. However, I have my _Inferno-Queen Demon_ on my field. And _Inferno-Queen Demon_'s special effect will increase _Genocide-King Demon_'s ATK!" Titan explained as his newest monster grew stronger, a dark aura surrounding it. (2000-3000/1500)

"A-An ATK of 3000?" Judai shouted in surprise.

'_Shit. I wasn't expecting that,_' Kenji said in his head as he grit his teeth.

"Feel the anger of my Demons! _Genocide-King Demon_, attack _Kisaragi_! _**Sakuretsu**_**!**_** Gozo-roppu**_**! (A/N: this translates into: "Bursting! Internal Organs!")**" Titan commanded his monster.

With a roar, _Genocide-King Demon_ puffed out his chest, which opened up and released a swarm of insects towards the defending Ninja.

"Reverse card, open! _Ninjitsu Art Of Decoy_!" Kenji shouted as his face-down card rose. "With this card, I select one "Ninja" monster on my field and as long as this trap remains on the field, my Ninja can't be destroyed through battle! And I choose _Ninja Kisaragi_!"

As the insect swarm approached _Kisaragi_, the ninja girl vanished in an explosion of smoke, to which the insects flew through and returned to the chest of _Genocide-King Demon_, making its chest close while _Ninja Kisaragi_ reappeared on the field.

"Kenji-_kun_!" Sho cheered.

"Nice move!" Hayato said as Titan growled at Kenji's trap.

"Turn end," Titan said.

Titan's hand: 4

"My turn then. Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled out his next card, an amused smiled appearing on his face as he looked at the card. '_One of my new cards. Guess now's a good a time as any to try it out._' "I summon _Ninja Haguro_ in Defense mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a short man wearing a dark blue ninja uniform, covering everything but his hands and face while his face was covered with white paint, appeared on the field holding two short daggers in a defensive stance. (500/500)

"Is that the best you can do?" Titan taunted, but Kenji merely smirked.

"Far from it. Now the Monster effect of _Ninja Haguro_ activates! As long as he's in face-up Defense mode during my Main Phase, I can special-summon one _Ninja Haguro_ from my deck!" Kenji announced as he pulled out his deck and searched through it, playing the card once he found it and shuffled his deck again. (500/500)

"Awesome! Now he can use the effect of the new one to summon another!" Judai cheered.

"However…" Kenji started, earning everyone's attention. "If _Ninja Haguro_ is Special-Summoned through the effect of another _Ninja Haguro_, I can't use its effect until my next turn."

Judai, Sho and Hayato groaned in disappointment.

"Turn end," Kenji stated.

Kenji's hand: 4

"My turn again. Draw," Titan said, his coat ejecting another card, which caused the Dark Duelist to smirk. "I play the Equip Spell card, _Big Bang Shot_!"

As Titan played the card, the image showed a man kicking something, which resulted in an explosion.

"This card increases the ATK of the equipped monster by 400 points and also grants it a piercing effect," Titan explained, causing Kenji to grit his teeth. "And I'll equip it to my _Genocide-King Demon_."

The dark aura that surrounded the red monster mixed with an orange color as his power increased further. (3000-3400/1500)

'_Damn. I wasn't counting on this,_' Kenji thought to himself as he held his ground, waiting for the attack.

"_Genocide-King Demon_, attack his _Ninja Haguro_! _**Sakuretsu**_**!**_** Gozo-roppu**_**!**" Titan ordered, to which the Demon monster gladly obliged by opening its chest and releasing a swarm of insects that made a b-line straight for Kenji's monster, blowing up the Ninja monster on impact.

Kenji: 5100

Titan: 8000

The three Osiris students were in shock at Kenji having received almost 3000 points of damage. Titan only chuckled as he lifted up the golden pyramid, causing the eye to emit light, causing the four students to try blocking it out again.

"Begin to vanish. Your body will gradually disappear in accordance to your Life Points," Titan stated.

When the light faded, the three Osiris students gasped at what they saw.

"Kenji!" Hayato and Judai shouted.

"Kenji-_kun_!" Sho called out.

As the three of them looked at Kenji's body, it had appeared as though someone was slowly erasing him as his upper arms and chest vanished a little.

"Hm?" Kenji wondered, but when he looked at himself, nothing seemed out of place. '_This is a Game of Darkness, right? Isn't something supposed to happen?_'

"Kid, didn't I tell you? That this Game of Darkness has already begun?" Titan said with a chuckle, but Kenji didn't even flinch while a dark fog spread throughout the area. "The enshrouding black fog… The heavy, black fog is engulfing you all. Hard to breathe now, isn't it?"

Sho put his hand to his throat, finding it hard to draw in air as Hayato did the same while Judai started coughing.

"What's this choking us up?" Hayato asked.

"It's the pressure of the Game of Darkness. Your legs will no longer move, so no one will be able to run away from this game," Titan continued.

"He's right! I can't budge my legs!" Sho said, but Kenji swung his legs a little under the fog and tapped his feet against the ground.

'_What's going on? The others appear to be in pain, but I feel fine. And that Titan guy sure seems convinced about all this…_' Kenji mentally stated until an answer came to his head. '_I get it. But I think I should play along for a bit. Guess I should be thankful for my training._'

"Squirm… suffer…" Titan continued on. "But the moment when you'll find yourselves longing for the suffering is approaching. For what awaits the loser of a Game of Darkness is eternal darkness."

Kenji just had a stern look on his face as he tried to piece things together until he noticed something was missing.

"But in order to play the Games of Darkness, one must have a Millennium Item! And I don't see one on you!" Kenji said, having not seen the gold pyramid from the flash of light.

But Titan responded by raising the gold pyramid, a smirk on his face.

"Behold. This is the legendary item, the Millennium Puzzle," Titan answered as the pyramid slowly swung like a pendulum, but the center eye appeared to be altered while light shone from it once more. "It proves this is a Game of Darkness."

"That's a… Millennium Item!" Hayato confirmed the name of the pyramid.

"My turn is finished. Come on, kid. It's your turn," Titan said as the light slowly faded.

Titan's hand: 4

'_If this really is a Game of Darkness, this duel isn't going to end well. But if this is actually what I think it is…_' Kenji thought to himself with a small smile on his face.

'_He's smiling… why?_' Titan mentally asked himself as he grit his teeth.

"This duel's really fun. I haven't felt such an adrenaline rush in a while!" Kenji announced. "My turn! Draw!"

Kenji drew his next card, but noticed something was off about Titan's turn.

'_Hang on. Why didn't he attack my other _Haguro_ with his _Inferno-Queen_? He knows my monster's no match for it,_' Kenji wondered, not seeing the smirk on Titan's face.

'_If I attacked that other _Haguro_ monster with my _Inferno-Queen Demon_ then I wouldn't be able to deal more damage with my _Genocide-King_. Even if he can bring out another, it won't matter,_' Titan mentally said as he quietly chuckled.

Kenji took a glance at the card he drew, his eyes widening a little.

'_This card! Alright, maybe now I can do some damage,_' Kenji thought to himself before adding the card to his hand. "I activate the effect of my _Ninja Haguro_ and special-summon my last from my Deck!"

Kenji pulled his deck out of the disk, searched it, played the card and shuffled his deck again.

"My last _Ninja Haguro_ in Defense mode!" Kenji announced as the blue-clad ninja appeared. (500/500)

"It doesn't matter how many of those weaklings you set up, my _Genocide-King_ will destroy them and you as well," Titan stated.

"We'll see about that. I remove the _Ninja Haguro_ in my Graveyard from play!" Kenji announced as the Ninja card ejected from Kenji's duel disk, to which he stuffed it into his pocket. "To special-summon _Raizo, The Ninja Assassin_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played the card, the Osiris students were in awe, seeing a card that Kenji hadn't played before while Titan took a small step back.

'_Since when did Ninjas have monsters above Level-5?_' Titan shouted in his head.

Rising from the ground was the body of a young Asian man wearing an open black leather jacket and black pants, his wet black hair covering most of his eyes as he held a Kusarigama weapon in his hands, the blade swinging freely from his right hand as the weighted ball was clutched in his left. A murderous expression filled his face. (2400/1850) But Titan merely chuckled.

"Your monster may be strong, but not as strong as my _Genocide-King_," Titan gloated.

"Maybe so…" Kenji said with a smirk. "But it won't last. _Raizo_, attack his _Infernal-Queen Demon_! **Assassin's Swing!**"

_Raizo_ held the chain of his weapon with his right hand and started swinging the blade, swinging it faster and faster until finally flinging it at the female monster, cutting it in two and making it explode into pixels as Titan braced himself.

Kenji: 5100

Titan: 7500

"A minor setback," Titan said as portion of his arm disappeared.

"That might be, but now your _King_ loses ATK points!" Kenji pointed out as Titan's monster lost its dark aura. (3400-2400/1500) "Turn end."

"Nothing else to play? Such a shame. Draw," Titan said, pulling his next card and adding it to his hand. "_Genocide-King Demon_, attack one of his _Ninja Haguro_ monsters! _**Sakuretsu**_**!**_** Gozo-roppu**_**!**"

The Fiend-type monster did as commanded and opened its chest, sending the swarm of insects at the crouching Ninja, blowing it up on impact and lowering Kenji's Life Points due to _Big Bang Shot_.

Kenji: 3200

Titan: 7500

"Turn end," Titan said smugly as more of Kenji's body started to fade, though the Ninja duelist didn't appear to notice.

Titan's hand: 5

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji shouted as he pulled his next card and looked at it, a small grin appearing on his face before he slid a card into his Duel Disk. "I play the Quick-Play Spell card, _Shadow Clone_! With this card, I select one Ninja monster on my field and special-summon another Ninja from my hand or deck whose Level is equal to or lower than my selected monster! And the one I choose is my Level-6 _Raizo, The Ninja Assassin_!"

Kenji then pulled out his deck and searched through it. Once he found the card he wanted, he pulled it out, shuffled his deck and put it back before placing the monster card on the disk.

"I special-summon my Level-5 _Ninja Kasumi_!" Kenji announced as the red-haired kunoichi appeared on the field in a blizzard of sakura petals. (2000/1500) "Now I activate the Monster effect of my _Ninja Kasumi_! When she's summoned to the field, I can add one Level-4 or lower Ninja monster from my deck to my hand!"

Kenji once again pulled out his deck and skimmed through it until he spotted the card that would help him.

'_It's up to you now,_' Kenji mentally said to the card as he pulled it from the deck. "I choose my Level-4 _Ninja Sheik_!"

The card's name gained the attention of the three suffering Osiris students since they'd be seeing another new card of Kenji's while the Ninja duelist shuffled his deck again and put it back into his Duel Disk.

"And now I'll summon _Ninja Sheik_ in Attack mode!" Kenji stated as he played the card.

As Kenji played the card, a ninja with a slim figure wearing what looked like a blue bodysuit appeared on the field. A cloth chest plate covered the front, but it was still easy to tell that the ninja was female. She had blonde hair hidden behind bandages that were wrapped around her forehead, only her bangs stuck out of the front while the back was tied into a long ponytail. Bandages were also wrapped around her forearms while on the cloth chest plate was what appeared to be a red eye with three red triangles above it while what looked like a large red tear was below the eye. In her hands, the ninja held what looked like a small harp. (1500/1450)

"You really think that monster can beat my _Demon_? The only one strong enough to take him down is your _Assassin_, but only through suicide," Titan pointed out.

"We'll see about that," Kenji said, earning a questioning look from Titan. "I play a Spell card from my hand! _Pot Of Greed_!"

As Kenji played the card, a green pot with a twisted grin appeared on the field.

"With this card, I can draw two new cards from my deck!" Kenji explained as he pulled the next two cards, grinning at the sight of one of them. '_Alright, that's one down. Now I just need the other half._'

"You waited until now to play it? Why?" Titan asked.

"Because when a Spell card is played, my _Ninja Sheik_ gains one Spell Counter, and for every Spell Counter she gains 200 ATK," Kenji explained as the female ninja grew stronger and one of the red triangles on the cloth chest plate started to glow. (1500-1700/1450)

"It's still not enough," Titan said, but Kenji only grinned.

"Now I activate my _Ninja Sheik_'s Monster effect! By removing any number of Spell Counters from her, I can destroy that many Spell and Trap cards my opponent controls!" Kenji explained while _Sheik_ started strumming her harp.

'_Shit! If he destroys my _Big Bang Shot_, my _Genocide-King_ will be removed from play!_' Titan thought horrifically.

"_Ninja Sheik_! Destroy _Pandemonium_!" Kenji declared.

As _Ninja Sheik_ struck the last note of the song she was playing, the triangle on her chest stopped glowing while a golden light shone from the back of her right hand. A moment later, the _Pandemonium_ field started to crumble until it faded away and brought the coffin Asuka was held in back into view while the female ninja become weaker. (1700-1500/1450)

"Now I switch my remaining _Ninja Haguro_ to Attack mode!" Kenji said as the blue-garbed ninja stood up, holding a kunai in his hand. "_Raizo, The Ninja Assassin_! Attack his _Genocide-King Demon_!"

"You fool! You'll only sacrifice your monster! _Genocide-King Demon_! Counter-attack!" Titan commanded.

Kenji's ninja dropped the weighted ball from his left hand and started swinging it before throwing it at Titan's _Demon_, the chain wrapping around _Genocide-King_'s neck. But the _Demon_ monster burst its chest open, releasing the swarm of insects while _Raizo_ threw the blade of the kusarigama weapon. The blade flew through the insects and sliced through _Genocide-King_'s head, effectively decapitating him while the insects smashed into _Raizo_ with an explosion.

"And now you lost your monster," Titan said with a chuckle, but when the smoke cleared he was in utter shock. "Why is he still alive?"

"Because of his effect. My _Ninja Assassin_ cannot be killed in battle," Kenji explained. "Now I'll attack you directly with _Ninja Sheik_, _Ninja Kasumi_ and _Ninja Haguro_!"

The three Ninjas charged forth with _Ninja Sheik_ throwing a handful of Senbon needles at Titan while both _Ninja Kasumi_ and _Ninja Haguro_ slashed at Titan with their weapons.

Kenji: 3200

Titan: 3500

"And since your _Big Bang Shot_ was removed from the field, your _Genocide-King Demon_ is removed from play!" Kenji announced while Titan growled and put his monster into his pocket and more of the Dark Duelist's body vanished.

However, Titan just growled and pulled out the Millennium Item as light shone from the eye.

"I'll make you regret this! Fall into the shadows!" Titan shouted as the light started to shine brighter.

Kenji raised his Duel Disk to try blocking out the light, but Judai, Sho and Hayato fell to their knees, breathing heavily.

'_What's wrong with them?_' Kenji asked himself as he looked over towards his Osiris friends.

"_Poyo! Poyo!_" a voice familiar to Kenji shouted.

'_What the? _Kaabii_?_' Kenji mentally called to his spirit friend.

_Ninja Kaabii_ popped out of Kenji's deck in spirit form and floated around Kenji, waving its stubby little arms.

'_Calm down, _Kaabii_. What are you trying to say?_' Kenji asked his spirit mentally.

The round pink ball pointed over to Judai, prompting Kenji to look over at his friend and noticed a _Winged Kuriboh_ was flying around the brunette boy.

'_So I was right. Judai_ does_ have a _Winged Kuriboh_ spirit,_' Kenji mentally noted, but then noticed _Kaabii_ was still talking to him.

The ninja duelist turned his full attention to _Kaabii_ until he understood what the pink monster was trying to say.

'_So my guess was right. It's all a trick!_' Kenji concluded as he reached a hand into his waist pouch and, in one swift motion, threw a six-sided shuriken towards Titan.

However, instead of hitting the Dark Duelist, the shuriken sunk halfway through the Millennium Item, shocking the hell out of Titan to say the least.

"Wh-What the?" Titan shouted.

The light from the Millennium Item dissipated as Hayato and Sho got back to their feet to see Judai was already standing and saw Kenji's and Titan's bodies had returned to normal.

"Kenji-_kun_'s body is back to normal!" Sho shouted happily.

"I knew it all along. This is no Game of Darkness! It was just a mind trick!" Kenji announced while Judai smirked and Hayato and Sho turned to look at the Dark Duelist. "I'm guessing he's some kind of hypnotist, making people think something's happening when it isn't. But there's one thing he didn't count on! Ninjas aren't affected by mind games!"

"N-Ninjas!" Titan shouted.

"That's right, you crackpot. My family is descended from a ninja clan, so we keep a few tricks of our own up our sleeves! One of them is immunity to tricks of the mind!" Kenji explained.

"Nonsense! My Game of Darkness is real!" Titan shouted.

"Then answer a question!" Kenji said before nodding at the spirit form of _Ninja Kaabii_, who nodded back. "The Millennium Item you have… How many of it are there?"

"You mean, the number of Millennium Items?" Titan asked so he could understand the question while looking down at the golden triangle.

"That's right! Now give me your answer!" Kenji demanded.

"It's… s-seven," Titan said, but seemed unsure of himself, but when Kenji glared a little, Titan smirked. "Seven."

"He's right," Hayato confirmed.

"Well? Do you get it now? I am a genuine player of the Games of Darkness. I am one of the holders of the seven Millennium Puzzles existing in the world!" Titan shouted as he lifted the pyramid, but Kenji smirked and started to chuckle.

"Sorry, wrong answer," Kenji said, earning a questioning look from Titan. "You're right about the number of Items, but there's only _one_ Millennium Puzzle!"

"_Poyo!_" _Kaabii_ squeaked happily as it danced and spun around Kenji's head with a smile on its face.

"You've just dug your own grave, pal!" Kenji said. "You've confessed to cheating this whole time!"

"Since my trick won't work, it'd be pointless to keep dueling you!" Titan said as he threw a ball at the ground, causing it to explode into smoke and making the three Osiris students cover their eyes.

'_A smoke ball? Useless,_' Kenji thought to himself as he ran into the smoke.

"Kenji!" Judai shouted to his friend, thinking the Obelisk student may have fallen into a trap.

From inside the smoke, sounds of hits landing could be heard until the sound of a body falling to the floor was heard. The three Osiris students stood there, waiting for the smoke to clear and anticipating the worst. But what they didn't see where the snake-like pillars that circled the room started to glow as thin beams of golden light shot from the statues towards the center of the room where the symbol of the Millennium Items appeared on the ground. Kenji, who had just managed to knock out Titan, looked at the glowing symbol on the floor.

"What the hell?" Kenji questioned.

The light from the symbol somehow made the smoke clear, allowing the three Osiris students to see Kenji standing and Titan sprawled on the floor, but the three of them were surprised when dark smoke started to swirl around the Obelisk student and the Dark Duelist.

"W-What's this?" Sho wondered.

As the smoke contracted, a giant dark orb slowly formed around Kenji and Titan. The next thing Kenji knew, he was in a place of complete darkness while Titan had managed to regain consciousness and get to his feet.

"W-What is this?" Titan asked as he looked around.

Kenji looked over at Titan with an eyebrow raised.

'_Even he doesn't know what's happening? Then maybe…_' Kenji thought to himself as his eyes widened in realization. '_This is a _real_ Game of Darkness!_'

The two duelists then heard something falling and looked around to see dark blobs falling from above them. The blobs slowly formed into strange creatures and surrounded the two duelists, though the ones surrounding Titan had latched onto him and rending him immobile.

"S-S-S-Stay back!" Titan shouted at the creatures. "Help me!"

But while Titan's mouth was open, a few of the blob-like creatures jumped into his mouth, making him unable to speak.

"Hey!" Kenji shouted and was about to run and help the former Dark Duelist, but felt something tugging his legs.

The ninja duelist looked down to see dark blobs trying to climb onto him.

"Damn it!" Kenji shouted as he tried to free himself.

"_Poyo!_" _Kaabii_'s voice rang out before the pink ball popped out of Kenji's Duel Disk, this time with a solid body.

"_K-Kaabii_?" Kenji questioned. "I gotta say, thanks for helping me figure out that trick of Titan's."

"_Poyo_," _Kaabii_ said with a smile while raising one of his stubby hands, but then the pink monster jumped down and started to shoo away the blob monsters.

But while _Kaabii_ was saving Kenji, the blobs that surrounded Titan all dove into his mouth.

"Hey! Titan!" Kenji called out, but when the Dark Duelist looked up his eyes were glowing red. "That's not good."

"Well then, Kenji… why don't we carry on with the duel?" Titan asked. "With a real Game of Darkness…"

'_He must be possessed. There's nothing I can do for him now and the only way out of here is to win. I have no choice,_' Kenji mentally told himself as he raised his Duel Disk while all of Kenji's monsters and Trap card appeared. "Alright then, let's go! Turn end!"

Kenji's hand: 5

"It's my turn. Draw," Titan said as he pulled his next card. "I summon a monster in Defense mode."

As Titan played the card, a reversed card appeared on the field in a horizontal position.

"Then I'll play the Spell card, _Lightning Vortex_. By sending a card from my hand to my Graveyard, I destroy all face-up monsters your control," Titan said as he discarded a card and played the Spell card, which fired five bolts of lightning at Kenji's field and destroyed his monsters. "Turn end."

Titan's hand: 2

"My turn then! Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his next card, only to glare at it and looked through his hand. '_Not the card I need. And I don't have anything else I can play._' "Turn end."

Kenji's hand: 6

"My turn. Draw," Titan said as his deck ejected the top card. "I sacrifice my face-down monster to summon _Skull Demon_ in Attack mode."

As Titan played his card, a more demonic version of the _Summoned Skull_ appeared on the field. (2500/1200)

"_Skull Demon_, direct attack! **Furious! Imperial Shock!**" Titan commanded, to which the _Demon_ monster unleashed a blast of lightning from it horns directly at Kenji, stunning him a bit as he took the full damage.

Kenji: 700

Titan: 3500

'_Shit. One more attack and I'm through,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"Turn end," Titan said.

Titan's hand: 2

The blob-like creatures inched closer to Kenji, but _Ninja Kaabii_ went back to shooing them away.

'_If I don't draw a monster, I'm done for,_' Kenji thought to himself as he pulled his next card. "My turn! Draw!"

As the ninja duelist pulled his next card, he brought it to his face and his eyes widened in surprise.

'_This is perfect!_' Kenji thought to himself as a grin formed on his face. "I play the Spell card, _Legacy Of The Dragon Clan_!"

As Kenji played the card, the card's image showed the silhouette of a massive dragon at the top of the image slowly turning into a human at the bottom of the card image.

"This card allows me to special-summon one _Ninja Hayabusa_ from my hand or deck, but I can't conduct my Draw Phase for three turns!" Kenji stated as he pulled out his deck and searched through it until he found his ace monster. "So I play _Ninja Hayabusa_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji pulled the card from his deck and played it on the field, a human garbed in a thick, black, sleeveless bodysuit jumped out from the darkness and stood before Kenji. The figure wore a black mask that covered his entire face, with the exception of his brown eyes, and had a curved metal plate with intricate designs etched into it protecting his forehead. A black scarf-like cape was wrapped around his neck and reached his upper legs. Black, metal, fingerless gloves covered his hands and forearms. (2700/1900)

"Next, I play an Equip Spell card from my hand. _Ryuken, The Sacred Blade_!" Kenji announced as he played the Spell card, the image showing a katana next to its black sheath, but acting as the sword's cross-guard was a dragon's head made of gold. "This card can only be equipped to _Ninja Hayabusa_ and increases his ATK by 800!"

The katana in its black sheath appeared on _Ninja Hayabusa_'s back. As the ninja reached back and grabbed the sword's hilt, he slowly drew it out, the blade shining with a blue hue. (2700-3500/1900)

"Even if you destroy my _Skull Demon_, you'll only do 1000 damage," Titan said.

"That's where the second effect of _Hayabusa_'s blade comes in. When the monster equipped with the _Ryuken_ blade battles a Fiend-type monster, the Fiend monster is automatically destroyed without applying damage calculations and keeping _Ninja Hayabusa_ alive," Kenji explained. "_Ninja Hayabusa_, attack _Skull Demon_! **Sword Of The Dragon!**"

The mighty Ninja disappeared in a blur, only to reappear in the same location a second later. Nothing appeared to have happened, but once _Hayabusa_ swung his blade, _Skull Demon_ was cleaved in two and exploded into pixels.

"Next, I play one last Spell card. _Hand Destruction_!" Kenji said as he played the card, which showed a _Sasuke Samurai_ monster cutting through two cards. "With this card, both of us must discard two cards from our hand and draw two more from our deck."

Kenji gladly sent two of his cards to the Graveyard while Titan sent the only two he had. The two duelists drew their new cards and Kenji smirked, but when Titan drew his, a shocked expression filled his face.

"Turn end," Kenji said.

Kenji's hand: 4

"My turn… Draw!" Titan shouted as he pulled his next card, but a look of horror filled his eyes.

'_It's over,_' Kenji thought to himself with a smirk.

"T-Turn end…" Titan said reluctantly.

Titan's hand: 3

"It's over, Titan. My turn. Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his next card. "_Ninja Hayabusa_, direct attack!"

The Ninja charged forth, leaped into the air and swung his sword vertically on his way down, slashing Titan right down the middle before returning to Kenji's said of the field while the Dark Duelist howled in pain.

Kenji: 700 (Winner)

Titan: 0

After the hit, Titan started writhing in pain as a dark aura surrounded him. The blob-like creatures also rushed at the Dark Duelist as they started to bury him in themselves.

"W-What are you doing?" Titan shouted at the creatures. "Impossible! Are you telling me Games of Darkness really exist?"

'_So he didn't even know they were real,_' Kenji thought to himself, concluding that Titan had been using the myths and stories of the Games of Darkness to scare his opponents, but the ninja duelist was unable to help Titan as the Dark Duelist vanished under the blob monsters.

"_Poyo?_" _Kaabii_ wondered as he turned around to see what looked like a crack of light in the darkness. "_Poyo! Poyo!_"

"Hm?" Kenji wondered as he turned to look at what _Kaabii_ was looking at. "That's the way out?"

"_Poyo!_" _Kaabii_ said with a happy nod.

"Then let's go!" Kenji said as he ran towards the light with _Kaabii_ floating right next to him.

As the two reached the crack, they fell out of the dark sphere and onto the stone floor.

"Kenji-_kun_!" Sho shouted, seeing Kenji fall from the sphere.

"Kenji!" Judai and Hayato shouted as they and Sho ran towards the Obelisk student, who turned around to face his Osiris friends.

"Hey guys! You okay?" Kenji greeted and asked.

"_Poyo!_" _Kaabii_ said as _Winged Kuriboh_ flew next to him.

"_Kuri kuri!_" the feathered _Kuriboh_ conversed.

"Huh? Those voices just now…" Hayato said quietly, thinking he heard something.

The four students then turned to see the dark sphere gradually become smaller and smaller until sparks of electricity violently coiled around it.

"Hit the ground!" Hayato shouted as he pulled Sho to the ground and prompting Kenji and Judai to duck and cover their heads as well.

A sudden gust of wind picked up, causing the coffin with Asuka in it to fall.

"Asuka-_san_!" Kenji shouted as he pushed himself against the coffin to keep it still while the dark sphere vanished.

Once the sphere was gone, Judai got to his feet and started to clap.

"Ooh! I didn't even know how he did _this_ trick!" Judai said.

"Eh? What are you talking about, Judai-_kun_?" Kenji asked. "Actually, nevermind."

'_I thought I heard a Duel Monster's voice just a second ago…_' Hayato thought to himself as he and Sho got to their feet.

"So where did that guy go, Kenji-_kun_?" Sho asked.

"I'm not sure. He just disappeared," Kenji answered as he scratched the back of his head. '_I hate to lie, but I doubt they'd believe me if I told them._' "Anyway, let's get Asuka-_san_ out of here."

"Right," the three Osiris students agreed.

Kenji untied Asuka's wrists and ankles before lifting her onto his back while the Osiris students led the way out.

* * *

Once they got outside, Kenji let Asuka off his back and rested her against a tree stump as the four students waited for her to wake up. It didn't take very long though as the Obelisk Queen slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh, so you've finally come to?" Judai asked as he sat to Asuka's left with Kenji sitting to Asuka's right and both Sho and Hayato sitting in front of her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Asuka asked the three Osiris students before seeing Kenji. "Kenji-_kun_? When did you get here?"

"Long story," Kenji said as he scratched the back of his head. "But we took care of that Titan guy that kidnapped you."

"Kidnapped? Then, you guys…" Asuka said as she started piecing things together while Kenji reached into his pocket and pulled out the _Etoile Cyber_ card.

"Here…" Kenji said as he handed Asuka the card.

"And here…" Judai said as he reached into Hayato's backpack and pulled out a picture and handed it to the Obelisk Queen, the very same picture he saw before hearing Asuka's scream in the dorm.

"Brother!" Asuka said in surprise as her eyes widened from looking at the picture. "It's unmistakable! That is my brother's signature! My brother always wrote the "Ten" in "Tenjouin" like this as a play on words."

Kenji leaned over a little bit to get a better look at the picture Asuka was holding.

"Sorry, but these were the only clues we could find," Judai said.

"Clues? Clues to what?" Kenji asked, now feeling out of the loop.

"The missing students of the Abandoned Dorm," Hayato answered.

"I see," Kenji said as he glanced back at the picture Asuka held. '_So is her brother one of the missing students?_'

"After hearing about your brother, I thought "I wonder if I could help her out a little bit"," Judai said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Then, that's why you purposely…?" Asuka started to say, but the rising sun cut her off as Judai got to his feet.

"Crap! Hey, let's get back before everyone wakes up!" Judai said.

"Asuka-_san_," Sho said as he stood up.

"Well, then," Hayato said, standing up as well.

"See you around," Judai said as Kenji and Asuka stood up while the three Osiris boys ran off towards their dorm.

'_Yuki Judai…_' Asuka started to say in her mind as she looked at the picture of her brother. '_You busybody…_'

"Hey, let's get going too so we don't get into trouble," Kenji offered and he lightly tapped Asuka's shoulder.

"Right," Asuka agreed with a nod as she turned to face the ninja duelist. '_And thank you, Kenji-kun…_'

The two Obelisk students also ran off towards their own dormitory.

* * *

**A/N: And that's it. I know I didn't get to show off the effects of Titan's Demon deck, but I don't have any cards in Kenji's deck that would trigger them. But I hope you all enjoyed the altered duel nonetheless. Also, we saw some new cards from Kenji and even one not made by me, so credit for that cards goes to patattack for letting me use it. Here it is:**

**Ninja Haguro  
Level 3  
DARK  
Warrior/Effect  
ATK: 500  
DEF: 500  
Effect: If this card is in face-up defense mode during your main phase, you can summon another "Ninja Haguro" from your deck. You cannot activate this card's effect on the turn it is summoned by the effect of "Ninja Haguro". **

**(The above card was created by patattack, so a thanks to him for making it and allowing me to use it)**

**Next: Judai was discovered to have been at the Abandoned Dorm and is now forced to take part in a Punishment Duel with Sho as his Tag partner. But Kenji steps up and admits to not only going into the dorm, but dueling there as well, forcing himself to take a Punishment Duel along with his two Osiris friends. But Sho's confidence falters. Can Judai reinforce Sho's self-esteem? Or will it be up to someone else to back up the little guy? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Please R&R, everyone!**


	6. Dealing The Punishment

**A/N: Hey guys! It's time for another chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I was having a little trouble with it. Now, just to let you all know, there is a flashback in this chapter, so if you see anything underlined, it's because present-day Sho is sorta narrating it. Well, not much else for me to say, so let's get this chapter started!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise! I DO, however, own my OC Yuuyami Kenji and Sumoi Hideko belongs to Moroko-chan.**

**

* * *

Turn 6: Dealing The Punishment**

The morning following the exploration of the abandoned dormitory, Judai, Sho and Hayato were sleeping peacefully in their room. However, they wouldn't be aware of the rude awakening they were about to receive.

An armored vehicle drove down the dirt road from the Duel Academia building towards the Osiris Red dorm. Inside the vehicle were men that appeared to be dressed like they were part of the army. Once the vehicle stopped in front of the Osiris Dorm, the men jumped out and marched up the stairs, the noise waking up Professor Daitokuji.

"Who is that-_nya_?" Daitokuji asked tiredly as he walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes. "For crying out loud, don't break the corridor, or the floor will cave in… _nya_?"

When Professor Daitokuji checked to see who was making the noise, he started to freak out a bit, having recognized the uniforms.

"T-T-The Academia Ethics Board, fearful enough to quell a crying child? Why are the people that'll undoubtedly expel you if they're rubbed the wrong way here at our dorm?" Daitokuji asked no one in particular.

As Judai, Sho and Hayato slept, someone started knocking loudly at their door.

"Open up! Open it up!" The person who knocked shouted. "Open up! Open up!"

"What the heck? Quit making all that noise…" Judai said tiredly and he slowly got out of bed as the knocking continued.

"If you don't open up immediately, we'll blow this door up!" The person knocking threatened.

"Blow… blow u-" Judai started, but in the middle of repeating the second time, he was wide-awake and stood up from his bed. "W-Wait a second!"

Judai ran towards the door, afraid that it might be blown off its hinges at any moment, and opened it for the person knocking. Standing outside the room was a young woman and two men, the three of them wearing what looked like green versions of the Obelisk Blue uniforms with berets on their head, the two men wearing black sunglasses.

"Yuki Judai... and Marufuji Sho, as well," the woman said, glancing over at Sho, who was just waking up, before returning her attention to Judai. "You're the ringleader, Yuki Judai, aren't you?"

"Huh? Ringleader?" Judai asked, completely clueless about the situation, as Sho got out of bed and walked up behind Judai.

"We're taking you to the Inquiry Board," the woman said. Causing Judai and Sho to look at each other in confusion.

The two Osiris students were led from their dorm room, after they got changed into their blazers, to the Academia building. Though neither of the Osiris students, nor the members of the Ethics Board, knew that they were being followed. Once inside the Academia building, the Osiris boys were led to a locked room with a "Keep Out" sign on it. As the were led in, the person following them managed to sneak in before the door closed behind them, hiding in the shadows as Judai and Sho walked into the center of the light while three screens turned on, showing images of Principal Samejima, Professor Chronos and the woman from the Ethics Board. The person hiding couldn't hear much, but then the two Osiris boys said something that caught his attention.

"Expelled?" Judai and Sho shouted in unision.

"Earlier today, Yuki Judai and two accomplices broke into the special dormitory, which is closed-off and was made off-limits, and wreaked havoc inside," the woman explained. "The investigation has commenced!"

"We'll do anything you say, just give us a chance!" Judai tried to beg.

"Well then, I propose another way to penalize you two. And that would be a Punishment Tag Duel," Chronos stated.

"Punishment Tag Duel?" Judai repeated.

"Precisely. Yuki Judai and Marufuji Sho, you two will form a tag team to duel-_no ne_. Should you win the duel, you will then be cleared of all charges-_na no ne_," Chronos explained.

"Excuse me for intruding…" the five people heard, the Osiris boys turning around while Chronos, Samejima, and the Ethics Board woman turned their attention to the source of the voice who walked out of the shadows. "But if you're oing to punish them, you'll have to punish me as well."

"Kenji-_kun_!" Sho said as the Obelisk ninja duelist walked towards him and Judai.

'_What's going on here? What does Signore Yuuyami mean?_' Chronos thought to himself, wondering why Kenji wanted to be punished along with the two Osiris boys.

"Judai and Sho-_kun_ weren't the only ones who went into the Abandoned Dorm. I was in there with them and even dueled there. So if these guys are going to be punished for just being in there, then there should be a punishment for me, right?" Kenji said.

"Hm? And why was an Obelisk Blue student in that dorm?" the Ethics Board woman asked.

"Do you really need specifics? I was there and that's all I'm going to say," Kenji answered. '_After all, I doubt they'd believe Titan was here._'

"Professor Chronos, do you have a punishment set up for Kenji?" Principal Samejima asked.

"Uh… well, um… he'll have a Punishment Duel as well, but seeing as he can't team with Yuki Judai and Marufuji Sho, I'll have to think of another way for him to take it," Chronos answered. "However, should either of you lose these duels, you will be expelled immediately! I will publicly announce your opponents at a later time-_no ne_."

"Then it's settled. You three may go," said the Ethics Board woman as the three boys were escorted out of the room.

"You didn't have to put yourself in the same mess as us, Kenji-_kun_. Now you're as likely as us to get expelled," Sho said worriedly.

"I'm not going to let you guys take all the blame. We're friends after all, right?" Kenji said.

"You got that right! And we'll beat these duels!" Judai said with enthusiasm.

"Right," Kenji agreed, but Sho just had a gloomy look on his face.

* * *

Not too long after, Hayato was in Samejima's office after requesting to speak with the Principal, having heard of the Punishment Duels that Judai, Sho and Kenji would have to face.

"I-I was at that dorm as well," Hayato confessed, but Samejima just stared at the chubby boy. "S-So, I will be on Judai's tag team! Or you can even team me up with Kenji!"

"I was at the scene of the crime, as well," a female's voice spoke as the doors to Samejima's office opened.

Hayato turned around and saw Asuka walking into the room. Now Samejima was a little speechless that not only was another student in the Abandoned Dorm, but another Obelisk student.

"Please allow me to take part," Asuka requested as she stood in front of Samejima's desk. "If I can't be Judai's partener, then let me team with Kenji-_kun_. He doesn't deserve to do this alone."

"I-I used to think of myself as useless before…" Hayato said, earning Asuka to turn her attention to him. "But after seeing Judai duel, I want to come to grips with dueling one more time!"

Hearing Hayato _wanting_ to return to dueling caused Pricipal Samejima to smile a little.

"Whenever you get involved with him, everyone seems to get a little crazy," Asuka said, but Samejima just let out a sigh.

"I know very well how you both must feel. However, the Yuki-_kun_ and Marufuji-_kun_ tag team was decided by the Inquiry Board. And since Yuuyami-_kun_ was able to get in and confess, it had already been decided he would duel alone," Samejima answered.

Asuka and Hayato just looked at each other and sighed, knowing they couldn't help their friends in their time of need.

* * *

As Hayato made his way back to his dorm room, Sho rushed at him as soon as the chubby Osiris entered the room and hugged him for dear life.

"I can't do this! I'll lose and get expelled for sure!" Sho cried out as he hugged his hefty friend. "Hayato-_kun_! Please take my place!"

"I was thinking the same thing, but anything decided by the Inquiry Board can't be changed," Hayato explained.

"So Kenji'll have to go it alone then?" Judai asked as he was looking through his cards.

"Unfortunately. Even Asuka-_san_ from Obelisk Blue tried to asked Principal Samejima if she could help, but she was turned down," Hayato answered.

"Don't sweat it then. We just gotta win, right? Just gotta win…" Judai said.

"Big bro, you say that like it's nothing, but have you ever played a tag duel before?" Sho asked.

"Nope," Judai answered casually, still looking through his cards. "It'll be fun because I haven't."

"Y-You're nuts!" Sho said.

"If you're really my lil' bro, then you'll suck it up and do the best you can," Judai said before getting up from his seat. "I still don't know a damned thing about the make-up of your deck. Let's go have a duel to test our skills first."

* * *

At the same time, at the Obelisk Blue dorm, Kenji was just sitting under a tree and relaxed under the shade. At least until someone walked up to him.

"What are you doing here?" Kenji asked, trying not to sound rude until he opened one eye and saw the Kaiser and Asuka. "Oh, hey guys."

"You seem very calm about all this," Asuka said.

"Why shouldn't I be? It's just a duel," Kenji said with a shrug.

"Try not to be too overconfident, Kenji-_kun_. This Punishment Duel will be tough, and I'm certain you won't be facing one of the other students," Ryo said.

"I'm not being overconfident, Ryo-_san_. I'm just taking this as it goes. But I'm actually a little worried about Judai and Sho-_kun_," Kenji said, but then thought about what he just said. "Well, I guess I'm more worried about Sho-_kun_ than Judai."

"And why's that?" Ryo asked.

"I don't know. After they announced that Sho-_kun_ would be in a tag duel with Judai, I felt some uneasy sense from him. Like he was feeling uncomfortable with the thought of being in a tag duel," Kenji tried to explain.

"Well, I was actually just about to go check on those two and see how they're doing," Asuka said.

"Hm… I think I might go, too," Kenji said as he stood up and followed Asuka towards the Osiris dorm, but glanced back at Ryo. '_Ryo-_san_ is Sho-_kun_'s older brother, but he doesn't seem concerned at all. Does he have that much faith in Sho-_kun_ or is it something else?_'

* * *

When the two Obelisk students arrived at the Osiris dorm, they saw Hayato standing at the cliff.

"Judai… Sho… even though there's nothing I can do…" Hayato said to himself, but didn't know someone had overheard him.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Asuka said as she and Kenji walked up to the large Osiris boy.

"Asuka-_san_. Kenji-_san_," Hayato greeted, but was surprised that they were there.

"Judai still looks happy about taking the Punishment Tag Duel. I don't think he's been deterred since," Kenji said as he and Asuka stood at the edge of the cliff with Hayato and looked down to see Judai and Sho getting ready to duel.

"Any person ivolved with Judai feels better than they did," Asuka said. "I'm sure Sho-_kun_ will, too."

"Let's hope so," Kenji said, noticing the unsteady look in Sho's face.

But then the three students heard footsteps running towards them. When they turned around, they were met by a familiar Ra Yellow student.

"Hideko-_san_," Kenji greeted.

"Is the rumor true?" Hideko asked when she stopped and started to catch her breath from having run all the way from the Ra dorm.

"Hm? Rumor?" the three other students asked in unison.

"That Judai-_san_ and Sho-_kun_ are taking a Punishment Tag Duel," Hideko said, only to receive a nod from each of the three students as an answer. "Wait… Kenji-_san_ and Asuka-_san_? What are you two doing here?"

"We came to check up on them," Asuka answered.

"And I'll be in a Punishment Duel as well, so I want to see how well Judai and Sho-_kun_ do during practice," Kenji added.

Hideko walked up beside the three students and looked down with them to watch the duel between Judai and Sho.

"You don't have to hold anything back," Judai said. "Let's not think of it as a test of skills, and have ourselves a fun duel!"

"Yeah… I wonder why you look so happy… I mean, they said we're pretty sure to get expelled…"Sho said to himself.

"Say something?" Judai asked.

"N-Nothing at all," Sho answered.

"Okay, then! Duel!" Judai issued.

"Duel…" Sho said with minor enthusiasm.

Sho: 4000

Judai: 4000

"My turn! Draw!" Judai said as he drew his six cards and Sho drew his five while a wave crashed into the rocks, then looked at his hand. "All right! I summon _Elemental Hero Avian_! Attack mode!"

As Judai played his card, the green hero appeared and was ready to fight. (1000/1000)

"Then, I set one card face-down on the field to end my turn!" Judai said as a reversed card appeared behind _Avian_.

Judai's hand: 4

"My turn. Draw…" Sho said rather in a rather bored manner as he pulled his sixth card and looked at his hand before his face lit up with a smile. '_Yes! _Patroid_'s ATK has a chance against Big Bro's _Avian_!_ _A good start is essential in anything!_"

Sho then began to imagine his _Patroid_ socking Judai's _Avian_ in the jaw, causing it to explode while Judai was knocked to his back and Sho stood triumphantly while Judai admitted defeat and started calling Sho his Big Bro.

"Something's going on in that head of his," Kenji said as he and the others watched the duel.

"Yeah, it looks like Sho-_kun_ got a good card," Hideko mentioned.

However, Sho was lost in his daydreaming as a creepy smile formed on his face.

"Hey, Sho! What're you doing?" Judai shouted, snapping Sho out of his daydream.

"Oh, crap! I summon _Patroid_ in Attack mode!" Sho said as he played his card, summoning what looked like a cartoon cop car standing on its back wheels while its front wheels acted as its hands and a police hat sat on the roof. (1200/1200)

"Not bad, Sho-_kun_," Hideko praised the blue-haired duelist. "If he uses _Patroid_'s effect, he can find out what Judai's face-down is."

"All right, let's battle!" Sho challenged, shocking the spectators. "Go, _Patroid_! **Signal Attack!**"

_Patroid_'s siren went off while a pink aura surrounded it as it sped towards _Avian_.

"Trap card, activate! _Negate Attack_!" Judai announced as his face-down card rose up, revealing a card with the picture of a vortex pulling in three streams of light.

The card caused an invisible wall to appear in front of _Avian_ and _Patroid_ skid to a halt, slowly backing away as the Trap card was draining its aura.

"Huh? _Patroid_'s energy is getting sucked away!" Sho shouted in surprise.

"Sho-_kun_," Hideko sighed heavily.

"Looks like he either didn't see Judai's card or he forgot _Patroid_'s effect," Kenji guessed.

"He got tricked right off the bat…" Hayato said, but a meowing sound caught the attention of the four spectators, causing them to look down and see Pharaoh, Professor Daitokuji's cat, rubbing against Hayato's leg, prompting Hayato to pick up the fat tabby cat.

"Sure enough, it's just what I was worried about," Asuka said, earning the attention of Kenji, Hayato and Hideko. "Sho-_kun_ might be carrying a heavy load as Judai's tag partner."

"So you noticed it too, Asuka-_san_," Kenji said before the four of them return to watch Sho and Judai duel.

However, Sho had his back turned to Judai and was crouched down as he started to draw in the sand.

"And here I thought I'd show off how cool I was in one go…" Sho muttered to himself while Judai's _Negate Attack_ card vanished from the field.

"Sho, you don't really just see a monster's ATK, do you?" Judai asked.

"Of course I don't!" Sho shouted his answer as he got back to his feet and turned to face Judai.

"_Patroid_ has the special ability to check the opponent's field. Since it has that effect, you could have check that I had my _Negate Attack_ set up," Judai explained.

"Quit it! You may be my Big Bro, but you're not lecturing me!" Sho shouted.

"What's wrong, Sho? Youre not acting like yourself," Judai said, now worried for Sho.

"I'm sorry… Big Bro, I _am_ acting odd, aren't I? You were just trying to give me some advice…" Sho said as he turned his gaze to the ground.

"No, maybe I _did_ ham it up with the lecture. There aren't any social standings among duelists! I'm gonna give it my all without giving any advice!" Judai declared.

"Judai's actually going to go all-out? I can understand that they won't get through the Punishment Duel without giving it their all, but I think this is over-doing it," Kenji said.

"Sho-_kun_ could end up getting hurt if Judai-_san_ takes it too far," Hideko added.

Sho's hand: 5

"My turn! Draw!" Judai said as he pulled his next card and looked at his hand again. '_All right, I'm counting on you!_' "I summon _Elemental Hero Sparkman_! Attack mode!"

As Judai played his card, the electric hero appear and stood ready to fight alongside _Avian_. (1600/1400)

"Here I go, Sho! _Sparkman_, use your Spark Flash on his _Patroid_!" Judai commanded, to which _Sparkman_ formed a ball of electricity in his hands before stretching it into a javelin and throwing it at Sho's _Patroid_, piercing through the vehicle monster and causing it to explode.

Sho: 3600

Judai: 4000

"Attack Sho directly, _Avian_!" Judai declared.

The winged hero flew into the air and, with a mighty flap of his wings, sent a strong blast of wind at Sho before diving at the short Osiris student and punching him in the face, sending Sho to the ground on his back.

Sho: 2600

Judai: 4000

"I'll place one card face-down on the field, and end my turn," Judai said as a reversed card appeared behind _Avian_ again.

Judai's hand: 3

"It's pretty cruel of you to get all serious so suddenly, Big Bro," Sho laughed a little as he pushed himself up.

"He lost his will to fight already?" Asuka wondered.

"Maybe he didn't have it to begin with," Kenji mused.

"Hang in there, Sho-_kun_!" Hideko cheered.

"Get it together!" Hayato shouted, earning Sho's attention. "If you're getting depressed over stuff like that, you'll look even worse than a first-year repeater like me!"

"Hayato-_kun_…" Sho said.

"Pull it together! Pull it together, Sho!" Hayato shouted.

"A guy like him, who never yells, is cheering for me as hard as he can…" Sho muttered to himself before standing on his feet and staring Judai down. '_I have to fulfill… his expectation!_' "It's my turn!"

"You can do it, Sho-_kun_!" Hideko cheered as the little Osiris stood up.

"Looks like your cheering got him his motivation back, Hayato-_kun_," Asuka said with a smile.

"Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen Sho-_kun_ this pumped up," Kenji said.

"Since I'm hopeless, I think I understand how others who get to be hopeless feel," Hayato said as Pharaoh meowed.

"I'm pretty sure you can understand how others feel because you're not the useless individual you think you are," Asuka said.

"G-Go figure…" Hayato said, not sure whether to take what Asuka said as a compliment or not.

"Maybe you should be a motivational speaker, Hayato-_san_," Kenji said with a chuckle.

"Now you're just making fun of me," Hayato said.

"Sorry, sorry," Kenji said, still chuckling.

"Draw!" Sho said, pulling his top card and looking through his hand. '_The monsters in my hand don't stand a chance against Big Bro._' "I activate the Spell card, _Pot Of Greed_, from my hand!"

As Sho played the card, a green pot with a wide grin appeared on the field.

"I'll draw two cards from my deck, and after I draw, _Pot Of Greed_ gets destroyed!" Sho explained as he drew two more cards, sending _Pot Of Greed_ to the graveyard after it shattered from the field, but Sho gasped in shock as he saw what he drew. 'Power Bond_…_'

'_What's with Sho? Did you draw a really awesome card, or something?_' Judai mentally asked.

"_Power Bond_ is treated as _Polymerization_, but it can double the ATK of the Machine-type Fusion Monster that's special-summoned. But it's a card that my Big Brother barred-off from me, telling me that I can't use it yet," Sho said to himself as he remembered back to the incident.

* * *

**[Flashback start]**

"That day… while I was still a grade schooler, I dueled against a bully name Goricuke. It was my chance to triumph over his usual bullying in a duel."

On the field, Sho had _Steamroid_ (1800/1800) and _Gyroid_ (1000/1000) while his opponent, Gorisuke, had _Gearfried The Iron Knight_ (1800/1600) and a reversed card.

Sho: 1600

Gorisuke: 1900

Sho's hand: 3

Gorisuke's hand: 3

"M-My turn! Draw!" young Sho said as he pulled his next card, a smile appearing on his face as he looked at the card. '_I drew it! It's the _Power Bond_ I got from my Big Brother! Since I've drawn this, he's easy pickings! All right, if I just use _Power Bond_ to special-summon _Steam Gyroid_, its ATK will be doubled. Its ATK will be 4400! Take away _Gearfried_'s 1800, and it'll deal 2600 damage to Gorisuke, making it a stunning upset! I'll be able to see that bully Gorisuke with tears rolling down his face!_'

"What's up with you?" Gorisuke asked. "Did you draw some really good card, or something? You're such a spaz…"

"Gorisuke-_kun_!" young Sho shouted after laughing. "You've been treating me like a fool and bullying the heck out of me all this time, haven't you? But now, that balance in power is about to be thrown off in a _big_ way!"

"What?" Gorisuke said in shock.

"Go ahead, be afraid! Soil yourself! Bow at my feet, you cowardly gorilla!" Sho taunted.

"You freakin's punk! After talking all that smack, when you lose, I'm gonna make you pay!" Gorisuke swore, but Sho just laughed again.

"And when that happens, I'll do a lap around the schoolyard, doing the handstand butt-naked!" Sho continued to taunt, thinking he had won.

"Pkay, then. It's a deal between us guys," Gorisuke, taking what Sho had said as a promise, but again, Sho just laughed.

"You're going to show me what a gorilla looks like crying," Sho said. "Behold! It's the killer card I got from my Big Brother!"

"Hold it!" a voice shouted, causing Sho to trip over himself and land face-first into the ground before playing _Power Bond_.

"Who's trying to get in my way?" Sho asked angrily to whoever interrupted his victory, but gasped in shock as his Big Brother, a younger Marufuji Ryo, walked up to Gorisuke. "Big Brother Ryo!"

"Hey, sorry, but I'll let you have this to forget this duel ever happened," Ryo said as he held a card to Gorisuke.

"Don't see any harm in stopping, then…" Gorisuke said with a chuckle before taking the card and leaving.

"Why did you stop me? I was going to win this turn, too!" Sho shouted as he got back to his feet.

"You don't deserve to use that card yet," Ryo said, turning only his eyes to Sho while his back remained facing his brother. "Until you're competent enough to be called a "duelist," that card is barred-off from you."

"Why? How come?" Sho asked.

"You can't understand why? In that case, take a good look at the card that was face-down on the field," Ryo said as he held up the face-down card Gorisuke had, having swapped the card he gave to Gorisuke for it, revealing to card to have been _Spellbinding Circle_.

"_Spellbinding Circle_!" Sho said in shock.

"As long as this card is on the field, the opposing monster it's designated to is unable to attack or change its battle mode," Ryo said as Sho listened intently, his eyes still widened in shock. "The ATK of a Fusion Monster special-summoned with _Power Bond_ is doubled. However, as its risk, the player will take damage equal to the original ATK of that monster at the End Phase of his turn."

Sho just looked down at the ground as tears started to appear in his eyes.

"Even if you had special-summoned _Steam Gyroid_, not only would it end up not landing its attack, but _Power Bond_'s risk would, instead, have you take damage equal to its original ATK, and you would have lost," Ryou continued to explain as Sho fell to his hands and knees, disbelief having fallen on his face.

**[Flashback end]**

**

* * *

**

"I don't deserve to use this card… This card is still barred off from me…" Sho muttered to himself as his body started to shake.

'_What the heck? Now he's started quivering?_' Judai thought to himself. "Hey! What's the matter?"

Sho then swapped _Power Bond_ for the other card he had drawn from _Pot Of Greed_.

"I activate a Spell card from my hand! _Polymerization_!" Sho announced as a swirling blue vortex appeared on the field. "Just you watch, Big Bro… Now I'll get some payback with my Fusion Monster! I fuse the _Gyroid_ and _Steamroid_ in my hand together to fusion-summon _Steam Gyroid_!"

Sho raised the two Fusion Material Monsters so Judai could see them before the cards themselves started to flash, causing them both to appear on the field before being sucked into the vortex. Then, in a flash of light, _Steam Gyroid_ appeared with the appearance of a steam train with a helicopter blade in the middle of its body. (2200/1600)

"Battle! **Hurricane Smoke!**" Sho declared, to which _Steam Gyroid_'s whistle blew, causing smoke to erupt from its head as the helicopter blade started to spin around, turning the smoke into a tornado, striking _Avian_ and causing him to cough before _Steam Gyroid_ ran into him, making the green hero shatter into pixels.

Sho: 2600

Judai: 2800

"I end my turn," Sho said as _Steam Gyroid_ returned to Sho's side while Judai had fallen to one knee.

Sho's hand: 4

"Well, Big Bro? I've got you a little beat, huh?" Sho asked with a victorious smile on his face, but the smile vanished when Judai started to laugh.

"This is the kind of duel I'm talking about, all right! Sho, things have gotten a little interesting!" Judai said as he got to his feet.

'_Wha?_' Sho asked himself, wondering what was his with his Big Bro.

"Awright! Let's give it all we've got!" Judai shouted, feeling pumped up.

"Uh, y-yeah…"

"It's my turn! Draw!" Judai said, pulling his next card before looking at his hand again. "Okay! From my hand, I activate the Spell card, _Polymerization_!"

The same blue vortex that had appeared on Sho's field had now appeared on Judai's field.

"_Sparkman_… and _Clayman_…" Judai said as the stone hero appeared on the field. "Your powers are going to call forth a new power!"

Both of Judai's heroes nodded before flying into the vortex. Bolts of lightning flashed across the sky to signal the coming monster.

"I summon _Elemental Hero Thunder Giant_!" Judai announced as the Fusion Monster slowly descended from the clouds. (2400/1500)

A strike of thunder caused Pharaoh to jump out of Hayato's arms and run off.

"This outcome is clear," Asuka said, earning the attention of Hayato, Kenji and Hideko.

"How come? Sho's still giving it his all, isn't he?" Hayato asked.

"_Thunder Giant_ destroys one monster with an original ATK that's lower than its own ATK," Asuka explained.

"Huh? Then…" Hayato said, now worrying for Sho as Hideko gasped.

"Did you face it before, Asuka-_san_?" Kenji asked.

"I did, and that's how Judai beat me," Asuka answered with a nod.

Sho just looked at Judai's hero monster, his eyes widened in fear.

"**Vapor Spark!**" Judai shouted, to which _Thunder Giant_ pointed a finger towards the sky and sent a bolt of lightning into the clouds, only to have it rain tiny bits of lightning onto _Steam Gyroid_, which tried to cover itself but exploded into pixels.

"My favorite card just…!" Sho shouted as his monster was destroyed.

"Next, from my hand, I summon _Elemental Hero Burstinatrix_!" Judai said as the female hero of fire appeared and flew around the field before stopping next to _Thunder Giant_. (1200/800) "Launch a direct attack on that player! **Voltic Thunder!**"

An orb of electricity formed from the sphere on _Thunder Giant_'s chest, which the large hero grabbed with both hands before throwing it at Sho, shocking the young duelist.

Sho: 200

Judai: 2800

"Another direct attack!" Judai commanded after Sho fell to his hands and knees. "**Burst Fire!**"

_Burstinatrix_ created an orb of fire in each hand, fused them together into a larger ball, and then launched it directly at Sho, knocking the duelist on his back.

Sho: 0

Judai: 2800 (winner)

"Gotcha! Sho, that sure was a fun duel!" Judai said as he did his two-fingered salute.

"I knew I'm no good…" Sho said as he pushed himself back up. "There's no way I can win that tag duel."

"What're you talking about?" Judai asked as he walking up to his Li'l Bro. "The fall you took was something else, but up until then, it was a close match."

"But…"

"You had a weird look when you drew that card… Let me see your hand," Judai asked as he grabbed the cards Sho was holding and looked through them, a shocked look appearing on his face. "Why didn't you use _Power Bond_?"

'Power Bond_? Sho had that in his hand? If he used it, he would've easily beaten Judai_-kun_,_' Kenji thought to himself, having overheard what Judai said.

"Had you used it, your ATK would've been doubled," Judai stated. "_Steam Gyroid_ would've become a powerful monster with 4400 ATK, wouldn't it?"

"I can't play it!" Sho shouted as he got to his feet. "My Big Brother barred that card off from me!"

Sho then swiped his cards out of Judai's hand.

"I _knew_ there's no way I could ever be on a tag team with you, Big Bro!" Sho said before running off.

"Sho!" Judai called after him.

"Sho!" Hayato shouted and run off to go after his friend.

"Sho-_kun_!" Hideko said as she followed after Hayato while Kenji and Asuka just watched them leave before looking back down at Judai.

"Let's go see what's up," Kenji offered.

"Sure," Asuka said as the two of them walked down the nearby hill.

"And maybe afterwards you and I can have a duel," Kenji said.

"Huh?" Asuka wondered.

"After all, I need to be prepared for my Punishment Duel, too. And I don't want to duel against Judai-_kun_ just yet," Kenji said.

"Sure thing," Asuka said with a smile before the two of them walked up to Judai. "What could be up with a person who always duels as cheerfully as you today?"

"Asuka-_san_ has a point. Don't think I've seen you this down before," Kenji added.

"Well, a duel should be something fun, right? And yet, when he duels, he looks kind of distressed," Judai said before turning to face the two Obelisk students. "He has a killer card like _Power Bond_, but… He said stuff about it being barred-off by his Big Brother and wouldn't use it."

Both Asuka and Kenji were shocked by this as their eyes widened.

"What is it?" Judai asked.

"Sho-_kun_ has a real brother, and he's in this academy," Asuka said.

"He does?" Judai asked.

"You didn't know?" Asuka asked.

"Sho never mentioned a brother, aside from calling me his Big Bro," Judai answered.

"Marufuji Ryo-_san_. Number one of the Third-Year Obelisk Blues and Kaiser of Duel Academia," Kenji explained. "He's the one I tried to tell you about during the first day of the year."

"The Kaiser…" Judai said as he turned and looked out across the ocean. "What happened between Sho and that big brother of his?"

"Not sure. I don't talk with him that often," Kenji answered.

"And he doesn't mention all that much with me," Asuka said.

"All right! I'll know right after I have a duel with him!" Judai said, feeling pumped up again.

"Huh? Judai, were you listening?" Asuka asked. "Marufuji Ryo is the Third-Year…"

"The Third-Year Obelisk Blues' top guy who's nicknamed "Kaiser," right? Things have finally gotten interesting!" Judai said.

"But Judai, no one has managed to beat him in his three years here. What makes you think you can do it?" Kenji asked.

"Who said anything about beating him? I just want to duel him. If I do manage to beat him, then that's fine," Judai said.

"You're a real handful," Kenji and Asuka said in unison.

"Just you wait, Kaiser! We're gonna duel!" Judai shouted as the waves crashed against the rocks before he ran off, full of energy.

"Well he's sure excited," Kenji said.

"That he is. Now then, ready for that duel?" Asuka asked.

"You know it," Kenji said as the two of them walked apart from each other and activated their Duel Disks after shuffling their decks. "I'm not going to go easy on you, Asuka-_san_!"

"I won't hold back either, Kenji-_kun_!" Asuka said as the two duelists put their decks into the disks.

"Duel!"

Kenji: 4000

Asuka: 4000

"Ladies first!" Kenji offered as he drew his starting five cards.

"Then I draw!" Asuka said, drawing her six cards and looking through her hand. "I summon _Command Knight_ in Attack mode!"

As Asuka played her card, a female warrior wearing red armor with a black cape and holding a longsword appeared on the field. (1200/1900)

"And with her effect, all Warrior-type monsters on my side of the field gain 400 ATK, including herself," Asuka explained as the female knight felt a rush of power. (1200-1600/1900) "Next, I play the Spell card _Double Summon_! With this, I can conduct a second Normal Summon this turn! And I choose my _Warrior Lady Of The Wasteland_ in Attack mode!"

The next monster to appear on Asuka's field was another female swordsman, but instead of armor she wore a green miniskirt and matching short-sleeved belly shirt and boots. Her left hand was wrapped in a bandage as she wore a brown hat and tattered brown cape, wielding a longsword. (1100/1200)

"And with my _Command Knight_'s effect, my _Warrior Lady_ gains 400 ATK points!" Asuka said as the second female warrior gained strength. (1100-1500/1200) "Not only that, but as long as I have one other monster on my field, _Command Knight_ can't be attacked."

'_Two monsters on her first turn and she's already given one a major defense while boosting the ATK of both. She's good,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"Turn end!" Asuka announced.

Asuka's hand: 3

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his sixth card. '_She has two monsters, but nothing to defend her _Warrior Lady_. Does she want me to attack it?_'

As Kenji thought about Asuka's move, he scanned his hand before seeing something that could lend a hand.

"I summon _Ninja Scorpion_ in Attack mode!" Kenji announced as he placed the card on his Duel Disk.

As Kenji played his card, a pillar of fire rose from the ground in front of him. When it died down, a man garbed in a ninja uniform similar to _Ninja Reptile_, but with and orange vest and mask, appeared. Though he looked like just about any other human-based monster, his eyes were completely white, as though his soul had long-since left his body. (1900/1200)

'_Perfect, his monster has more ATK than my _Warrior Lady_. When she goes to the Graveyard, I'll bring out another monster,_' Asuka thought to herself as she looked back at her hand. '_And then next turn I can summon my _Cyber Blader_._'

"I activate _Ninja Scorpion_'s Monster Effect!" Kenji announced, catching Asuka off guard. "By cutting his ATK points in half for his attack, _Ninja Scorpion_ can attack my opponent directly!"

"It had that kind of effect?" Asuka shouted in shock, her plan backfiring and causing Kenji to smirk.

"I figured you had a plan, leaving your _Warrior Lady_ unprotected. _Scorpion_, attack with **Hell's Gate!**" Kenji commanded. (1900-950/1200)

_Ninja Scorpion_ then backflipped into the air, disappearing into a portal that opened up behind it. While Asuka looked around for where the Ninja would strike from, another portal opened up behind her as _Scorpion_ jumped out and struck her in the back with a kick before flipping back into the portal and re-appearing on Kenji's side of the field, leaving a staggering Asuka to regain her balance. (950-1900/1200)

Kenji: 4000

Asuka: 3050

"I'll then set one reversed card. Turn end," Kenji said as a facedown card appeared two spaces from _Scorpion_.

Kenji's hand: 4

"Draw!" Asuka said, pulling her next card before glaring at Kenji's monster. '_I was hoping he'd destroy my monster so I could use her effect. But it looks like I'll have to use up my Battle Phase this turn._' "I use _Warrior Lady Of The Wasteland_ to attack _Ninja Scorpion_!"

'_I knew she was planning something that had to do with her monster's destruction,_' Kenji thought to himself as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Reverse card open! _Ninja Smokeball_! This card can be activated when my opponent attacks a _Ninja_ monster on my field and it ends the Battle Phase!"

"Damn," Asuka swore to herself. "I set one reversed card and end my turn."

As facedown card appeared behind _Command Knight_.

Asuka's hand: 3

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said, pulling his next card. "I summon _Ninja Dog Akame_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a white dog of the Kishu Inu breed jumped from the card image, a headband tied around its head with its name written in kanji, much like _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_. (1800/1200)

"And for _Akame_'s effect, all other _Ninja_ monsters on my side of the field gain 300 ATK points!" Kenji stated as _Akame_ let out a howl, boosting _Scorpion_'s power. (1900-2200/1200) "Now I'll cut _Ninja Scorpion_'s ATK in half to attack you directly again!" (2200-1100/1200)

_Ninja Scorpion_ once again flipped backwards into a portal, reappearing behind Asuka to strike her with another kick.

"Reverse card, open!" Asuka announced as her facedown card rose up. "_Waboku_'s effect reduces all battle damage towards me to 0 and prevents any of my monsters from being destroyed for this turn!"

Just as _Scorpion_'s attack connected, an invisible wall deflected the attack, causing _Scorpion_ to flip over it before jumping back to _Kenji_'s side of the field. (1100-2200/1200)

"Turn end," Kenji said.

Kenji's hand: 4

"My turn. Draw!" Asuka said, pulling her next card. "I play a Spell card from my hand, _Fusion Sage_! With its effect, I can add one _Polymerization_ from my deck to my hand!"

As Asuka sent her card to the Graveyard, she pulled out her deck, scanned through it, and pulled out the _Polymerization_ card. She then shuffled her deck and placed it back into its slot.

"Now I'll have my _Warrior Lady_ attack your _Ninja Dog Akame_!" Asuka declared as the female swordsman rushed ahead at the dog, but _Akame_ jumped to the side, avoiding the female warrior's sword before jumping at her and biting down on her jugular, causing her to shatter into pixels.

Kenji: 4000

Asuka: 2750

"Now for my _Warrior Lady_'s effect! When she's destroyed by battle, I can Special-Summon one Earth Warrior-type monster from my deck with 1500 ATK or less," Asuka announced before she searched through her deck again. "And I choose my _Blade Skater_!"

As Asuka played her new monster, the purple-skinned figure skater appeared on the field, gaining the power boost from _Command Knight_. (1400-1800/1500)

"Next, I play the _Polymerization_ card in my hand and combine my _Blader Skater_ on the field with the _Etoile Cyber_ in my hand!" Asuka said as her _Etoile Cyber_ monster appeared on the field before both of her mentioned monsters were pulled into a vortex. "Fusion-summon! _Cyber Blader_!"

From within the vortex, Asuka's blue-haired figure skating Fusion Monster appeared. (2100/800)

"And now for _Cyber Blader_'s effect! Since you have two monsters on your field, _Cyber Blader_'s original ATK doubles!" Asuka stated, shocking Kenji as the Fusion Monster gained power. (2100-4200/800)

'_A Level-5 Fusion Monster with 4200 ATK? Asuka-_san_'s really good,_' Kenji thought to himself.

"And with my _Command Knight_ still on the field, my _Cyber Blader_ gains 400 more ATK!" Asuka said as _Cyber Blader_ grew stronger. (4200-4600/800) "However, I already conducted my Battle Phase this turn. So I'll end."

Asuka's hand: 2

"My turn. Draw!" Kenji said, drawing his next card before glancing at Asuka's field and sweating a little. '_This is going to be tough. She has one monster with almost 5000 ATK and it's protecting her other monster from being targeted for an attack. And I only have one monster that can take on her _Cyber Blader_, but it might be a little much._' "I switch _Ninja Dog Akame_ to Defense mode!"

As Kenji turned the card to its side, the Kishu Inu dog sat down.

'_I know it's risky, but I said I wouldn't hold back,_' Kenji thought to himself. "I attack directly with _Ninja Scorpion_!" (2200-1100/1200)

The orange ninja once again flipped into the portal and jumped out behind Asuka, striking her with a kick to the back before teleporting back to Kenji's side of the field. (1100-2200/1200)

Kenji: 4000

Asuka: 1650

"Turn end," Kenji said.

"My turn. Draw!" Asuka said, pulling her next card. "I'll have _Cyber Blader_ attack your _Ninja Scorpion_!"

_Cyber Blader_ dashed towards the orange _Ninja_ and, once close enough, did a backflip, slashing _Scorpion_ with her blades and destroyed him before returning to Asuka's field, but with one less monster on Kenji's field, _Cyber Blader_'s ATK dropped. (4600-2500/800)

Kenji: 1600

Asuka: 1650

"Turn end," Asuka said.

Asuka's hand: 3

"Why didn't you attack _Akame_? You could've left me wide open," Kenji asked.

"Because since you have one monster on your field, _Cyber Blader_'s second effect activates, preventing her from being destroyed by battle," Asuka explained.

'_Great… So either her monster's ATK becomes 4600 again or neither of her monsters can be destroyed,_' Kenji thought to himself before an idea came to his mind. '_Wait a minute. Her monster's effect is determined by how many monsters are on my field. With one, her monster can't be killed in battle. With two, her monster's original ATK is doubled. So I'll just have to get more than two on my field._'

Kenji scanned the cards in his hand and a small grin appeared on his face.

'_Good, I may have just what I need._' "My turn! Draw!" Kenji said as he pulled his next card. "I summon _Ninja Commando Kabuki_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a ninja garbed with white and wearing a mask appeared on the field. (700/700)

"And with _Akame_'s effect, my _Commando_ gains 300 ATK!" Kenji stated as his new monster gained a little extra power. (700-1000/700)

"But now that you gave two monsters, my _Cyber Blader_'s ATK increases," Asuka stated as her own monster's ATK increased. (2500-4600/800)

"But now I activate the effect of my _Ninja Commando Kabuki_! When he's summoned to the field, I can Special-Summon one _Ninja_ monster from my hand or deck!" Kenji stated as he pulled out his deck, scanned through it and grabbed the card he was looking for. "I Special-Summon my _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_ in Attack mode!"

As Kenji played the card, the Shikoku Inu dog appeared on the field. (300/300) And with two other monsters, including _Akame_, _Kurojaki_'s ATK increased. (300-1600/300)

"Not bad. I see you've found out how my _Cyber Blader_'s effect works. However, now that you have three monsters, my _Cyber Blader_'s third effect activates, negating the effects of all your Spell, Traps and Monster effects!" Asuka explained as her monster weakened, but so did both of Kenji's. _CB_ (4600-2500/800) _NCK_ (1000-700/700) _NDK_ (300-300)

'_No way! I had no idea _Cyber Blader_ had that kind of effect! Now I can't summon anything else!_' Kenji shouted in his head, completely shocked. "T-turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" Asuka said, pulling her next card. "I have to hand it to you, Kenji-_kun_. I was surprised that you found out _Cyber Blader_'s weakness so quickly, but you need to have at least four monsters to negate all three of her effects. Now _Command Knight_, attack _Ninja Commando Kabuki_!"

The female knight charged ahead and slashed her sword against the ninja's chest, destroying him.

Kenji: 700

Asuka: 1650

"Now _Cyber Blader_, take out _Ninja Dog Kurojaki_!" Asuka declared as her figure skater dashed ahead and sliced the dog with her blade, destroying it as Kenji braced himself from the shockwave.

Kenji: 0

Asuka: 1650 (winner)

As _Ninja Dog Akame_, _Cyber Blader_ and _Command Knight_ faded, Kenji and Asuka walked up to each other.

"That was a good duel," Asuka said.

"Yeah. You're really strong, Asuka-_san_," Kenji said. "I had no idea _Cyber Blader_ had a third effect, much less one like that."

"Well if you can't beat me, how do you think you'll fair in the Punishment Duel?" Asuka asked.

"I guess you're right," Kenji said with a laugh while scratching the back of his head. "Maybe you and Ryo-_san_ could help me out some more, if it's not too much trouble."

"Sure, but you'll have to ask Ryo yourself," Asuka said.

"Right. Now, what do you say we head back to the dorm before it gets late?" Kenji said, earning a nod from Asuka before the two of them walked towards the Obelisk dorm.

* * *

**A/N: And that's the chapter! To be honest, I didn't plan on Kenji losing to Asuka, but after I read _Cyber Blader_'s effects, I saw no way Kenji could win this time around. Also, I know Asuka doesn't use _Command Knight_ or _Warrior Lady Of The Wasteland_, but I figured they'd work well in her deck since her deck consists mostly of warriors (and I don't want to show off her Ritual Monsters so soon). As for the use of _Double Summon_, why not? It's not like it's restricted towards Tuners or Synchros (which will not be used in this story) so I figured she'd find it useful (especially for _Command Knight_'s self-protection effect).**

**Next time: Sho leaves a letter for Judai saying that he's leaving Duel Academia! Judai challenges The Kaiser, Ryo, to a duel for Sho's sake! But before that, Hideko duels Sho in an attempt to make the Osiris student stay. Will she succeed? Stay tuned!**

**Please R&R, everyone!**


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